


Just Come Back

by 1_dont_care



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Clementine needs a hug, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Multi, There are infected from tlou instead of walkers, VIolet needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 31,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23717797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1_dont_care/pseuds/1_dont_care
Summary: Clementine went to help New Frontier with the war against Delta, she said she'll come by the school in a month if war isn't over by then, it was over two by now and they didn't heard from Clementine since then, and Violet doesn't know what to think, as well as any other member of school.
Relationships: Aasim/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody/Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is sort of prequel to the whole story.

Violet lays in her bed, well not only hers anymore, Clem moved into her room after AJ managed to convince his guardian to move into Tenn's room, Clem was reluctant, but she agreed to it, brunette still has a hard time to get used to living inside the walls, in safety, not on a road when one wrong move means death, is it from a stray bullet, or an infected, it doesn't matter, one wrong move and you're dead. It was over a month since they fought Delta off. Since they got their friends back from their ship, they were lucky as hell to escape from there in one piece, what no one expected was Minnie and Sophie helping them, risking their own lives to help their old family. If Clem had to be honest, she thought that they will try to stop them from running away, that they'll have to fight their way out of the ship, which happened but later than expected. Violet wasn't in her room without a reason, she's waiting for brunette as she asked if they can talk, it sounded serious, and Violet's worried if Clem is going to break up with her, blonde doesn't know what she would do if that would happen but in the same time, Violet thinks about all the nights spent on the bell tower, just watching stars with brunette, enjoying each other's company. 

She got pulled away from her thoughts as she heard a knock on the doors. "Come in." The door opens and brunette walks in, even if she already lives in Violet's room she's still can't get used to not knock on the doors hers and blonde's room. Violet sat on the bed and eyed brunette, she saw the guilty expression, blonde knew something happened. "What you wanted to talk about?" 

Clementine didn't answer right away, she sat next to blonde before taking a deep breath, she wasn't ready to tell blonde, not yet, but she had to, she can't wait longer or she won't tell anybody at all. "You remember when I told you about New Frontier?" The question doesn't need an answer, Clem remembers well that she mentioned it and she's also sure that Violet remembers it. After a nod, Clem continued. "So... Last time I was on that supply run, the one when I was alone. I met my old friend from back there, Javier Garcia, he told me that they're at war with Delta... And that he needs people..." Clem's voice is so low, she can barely hear it. Risking a glance at blonde Clem sees the shock, and fear, the brunette didn't expect anything less. 

"No... Please, Clem, don't." Violet begs, Clem expected that, and blonde's voice is just making her heart hurt, but she already agreed, she doesn't do it just to get out of school, she loves living here but the brunette is too worried that Delta might attack them again and they might not even know when and then they won't be even able to fight back. The war was the sole reason why Clementine repaired a car she found not that long ago, just so she could get to New Richmond. 

"I'm sorry, Vi, but I'm doing this for the whole school, for AJ... For you." Clem whispers out, she wants Violet to understand that she isn't doing this because she wants to, she does it because that one person might turn the war around. 

"I almost lost you on that ship, now you want to go to war? What if something happens to you? What if you die? What I'll do without you? What AJ will do without you?" Violet asks and those questions make Clem's heart break, but she has to go, she wants the school to be safe, even if it means that she'll die herself. Brunette again glances at the blonde, she sees the tears streaming down her face, brunette's eyes start well up too. 

"I wish I could tell you that I'll be fine, that I'll be back before you know it, but I can't and I won't lie to you, I'm scared." Clem admits, she isn't scared of many things, but she never was on a war, it's something completely new to her. 

Violet sniffles a couple of times, Clementine gets a little closer to the blonde and embraced her, brunette half expected that Violet will tell her to get out of the room and leave her alone, but blonde hugged Clem right back with much more force and hid her face in the crook of brunette's neck. "I don't want to lose you... I CAN'T lose you." Violet whispers, the brunette doesn't answer she just hugs Violet tighter, she can't lose blonde too, she can't imagine her life without Violet in it, not anymore. 

"I'll try and maybe come by the school after a month if war won't end, Javi told me that Delta is on edge of collapsing." Clementine says she's still hugging Violet, blonde doesn't object, she needs brunette by her side, and now she has to go god knows where, and fight Delta. 

"I won't be able to change your mind either way... Just do something for me." 

"Whatever it is, Vi, I'll do my damn best to do it." Clementine says waiting for blonde to say what she needs. 

"Just come back." Her voice made Clem shut her eyes tight, forcing herself not to cry, she can't cry now, she wants Violet to believe she'll come back, to make Violet sure she'll get back, even if she doesn't believe it herself. 

"I'll try Vi, I'll try." Clementine promises and opens her eyes again, Violet slowly pulls away from brunette she's not crying anymore, but her eyes are all red and Clementine doesn't feel good about Violet crying because of her but brunette can't imagine how worse it'd be if she'd do her first idea which was to leave school in the night just leaving a note behind. 

The silence is agonizing, neither Violet or Clementine know what to say, and Clem still has to say the rest of the members of the school about her plans, including AJ. "I still have to say others..." Clem says quietly. 

"Go, I'll make sure I don't look like shit and join you." Violet replies, Clem nods lightly before getting out of the room and closing the door. She doesn't waste any time and start to hear to Tenn's and AJ's room first, she wants to tell AJ separately. After being at the door to the room Clem takes a deep breath again but she feels somewhat less stressed than when she had to say it to Violet, she knocks on the door three times before walking in and seeing that Tenn and AJ are drawing something. 

"Tenn, I need to talk to AJ. Could you tell everybody to meet me in the music room?" Clem asks him, he silently nods and walks out, Clem could tell him too along with AJ, but she doesn't want to, AJ alone will be hard enough. 

AJ looks at Clem for a second, waiting for brunette to tell him what she needs. "Did I do something?" AJ asks after a not entire minute of silence, Clem looks at him surprised a little, she didn't even know how long she was quiet. 

"No. Of course not. It's just that..." Clem starts to think of a way how to explain it, she can't see any that would make it sound like her life won't be in danger, she knows that AJ will follow her if her life will be on the line, she's sure of it. "I can't say it in a good way, I can't see how I can do that... I'm going on a war AJ. With Delta." Clem says with her eyes shut, she doesn't want to see the same expression on AJ's face as she saw on Violet's. "I know you don't like it..." 

"Of course I don't like it! If you're going, I'm going too." AJ states and Clem opens her eyes and shakes her head, she won't let him go with her, no matter how much it'll hurt. 

"I'm going, you don't. I'm doing this to protect the school from Delta, they still might attack us, and we won't even know when we won't be able to defend ourselves." Clementine tries to reason with him, it won't work she's sure of that but she wants to try her best. "I'm not changing my mind AJ, you can't go, you stay here." AJ didn't reply, he just run outside the room, leaving Clementine all alone, she feels even worse than after telling Violet and she still has to talk with the rest of people, even if she's sure that they won't react as badly as Violet and AJ. 

Clem quickly got outside the room and started to head towards the music room with the hope that everyone is already there, at least most of the people, she doesn't want to wait long, she has to go today, and she didn't tell that to Violet because blonde would be even more reluctant. After reaching the music room she sees that only Aasim and Louis are absent but they got there rather quickly, around a minute after Clem got there, brunette still wonders how Aasim and Louis ended up together, they're complete opposites, on the other hand, she understands how Brody and Sophie ended up together, they're both anxious Sophie a lot less than Brody. "Tenn told us you want to talk with us." Brunette heard Aasim say. 

"I'm going on a war." She didn't even know when she told that it was like her body was ahead of her brain. 

"You're going where now?" Brody asks first. 

"On war with Delta, the community they're fighting, New Frontier, their leader, my old friend, told me that they need people to help defeat Delta that it's on edge of collapsing, I agreed to help, I'm supposed to be there in two days, so I have to go today." Clementine announces, she sees Violet, now even more terrified. 

"You didn't tell me it was today." Violet says. Before Clementine can reply she hears Ruby. 

"Why you're goin' there? We fought Delta off, they won't mess with us again." Ruby asks Clem, the brunette isn't so sure Delta won't attack them again, they might get even more people if they heard what Clementine's group did they might want to kidnap them for any price after all they're just kids and they fought off trained soldiers. 

"Because they might attack us again, if I make sure that Delta is defeated then I can come back, but until then I have to go, I don't want any of you to risk your life." 

"So we're supposed to let you risk yours? You saved us all and we're supposed to just let you go?" Sophie says. It's more or less true, Clem saved Sophie from a Delta soldier as well as from a clicker. 

"If you want to repay me for it, don't make it harder than it is." Clementine replies, she doesn't want to leave but she also wants to be sure everyone is safe and that's far more important. 

"When you'll be back?" Marlon asks. 

"Not sure if I'll even get back. But if the war won't be over in a month and I'll still be fine, I'll try and get here at least for a day." Clementine promises, she knows she didn't make it better by saying she might not come back, but she doesn't want to lie to any of these people but she's sort of relieved AJ doesn't hear it. 

"If there's one thing I'm sure of is that you'll live, no matter the outcome of the war." Louis says with a grin trying to lift the mood, Clementine wishes she could share his optimism. 

It was about thirty minutes, Clem used it to get pack what she needs, reach her car and double-check if it's working as it should. he has to go in a couple of minutes and the air now seems heavy around the school, since she admitted what she's going to do to Violet it seems like she can barely breathe, Violet didn't talk to her since the music room and Clem understood why. She threw her backpack in the passenger's seat and closed the door then started to walk to the other side of the car, she didn't saw AJ since she told him but Minnie and Sophie promised they'll try and talk to him, Tenn offered the same thing too. "So you're going?" She head Violet's voice from behind her, she didn't expect blonde to talk to her. 

"I have to Vi. I know I said that I might not get back, I know, but I also remember what I promised, I'm going to do anything it's going to take to get back here." Clementine promises it, she'll make sure she's going to do everything she'll need to get back. "There was one thing I was more afraid than this." Clementine admits, Violet looks a little surprised, brunette never admits if she was scared of something. "Back on that bridge after we escaped Delta, you jumped last and infected were right behind you, and then I almost didn't catch you, I was so afraid I'll lose you, so I know how you're feeling." 

"I don't know Clem... I want to believe you'll get back, but this you're going on war after all." Violet says with doubt in her voice, Clementine didn't think before kissing blonde it felt bitter like it might be the last kiss she'll ever have. "Please just make sure you'll come back." That broken voice makes Clementine afraid that she'll tear up. 

"I'll do everything in my power Vi." Clementine promises and gets inside her car. She takes a deep breath trying to stop herself from tearing up before turning the key and bringing the engine to life, all those weeks paid off, she slowly drove to the gates that are getting opened by Aasim, he wasn't agreeing with Clementine, he told her she should stay, that they need her, but brunette already has her mind made up. She can't stop now.


	2. Chapter 2

Violet was lying in her bed again, now she didn't exactly think about one thing but her mind wandered from one memory to another and in every one of them Clementine is involved, from a kind of relief that waved through blonde when Clem said she'd 'flip' Ruby, to the scavenge run that brunette wasn't coming back from for a longer time and when Louis and Violet went to look for Clementine they saw her running away with her shotgun in one hand, and a backpack full of supplies of different kinds on her back. Since Clementine drove away blonde started feeling a certain numbness inside of her, like part of her heart disappeared, it was similar to when she thought that Sophie and Minnie died, torn apart by runners, but then it wasn't to that extent. It was over two months now and she felt that numbness since day one. She also misses the affection, warmth, love, that she felt whenever she was lying on the bed with brunette, was it just lying down for a minute after coming back from hunting and waiting for Omar to finish cooking or going to sleep, she misses the feeling of brunette's soft and sweet lips against her own. Violet misses it and won't stop missing it. 

Twins kept their word and talked with AJ, the conversation wasn't easy, no one expected it to be, but he seems to understand why Clementine didn't take him, too dangerous. School grounds are quiet, far too quiet, even for Violet's liking, it was like that since Clementine went on war, they didn't talk much unless they had to, Louis isn't cracking that much jokes as usual, Aasim seems to be a little more nervous than usual, both Sophie and Brody are more anxious too, Clementine's absence is affecting everyone but it's worst for AJ and Violet, everyone sees and understands that. They all try and say to them both that Clementine will come back like she always does but it was over two months by now and no one knows or even try to think if Clementine is alive, dead, or maybe even infected now. 

It's getting colder and colder with each day, today's hunting and fishing will be one of the last before winter, at least they're sure they'll get through that winter with all the food that Clementine either found on her supply runs or when she was hunting, she always had more food than they needed which made Mitch and Aasim think of some way to keep food from getting spoiled. They had a system that Violet couldn't exactly understand, they used their cellar to it and because it's freezing in there and if the water is there long enough it turns into ice, and they used that to conserve their meat and fishes or anything that Clementine and others brought. 

If there's one thing that Violet is really pissed off on is that she can't even watch the stars anymore without reminding herself of brunette and feeling a familiar pain in her chest. she doesn't enjoy fishing as she did because it reminded her of Clementine too. The whole school is reminding her of brunette, how she first risked her life to safe school members or that moment when they got back from Delta's ship safe and sound, it all reminds her of brunette even if she tries not to think too much about her girlfriend. 

"Vi?! You're awake?!" Violet heard Brody's raised voice from the other side of the doors, she glanced at the door for second thinking if she maybe should be quiet and maybe Brody will think she's still asleep and will come back later, she would do that if not that it's hers and Brody's turn to go fishing. 

"Yeah, I'm up, give me a minute." Violet says back but she didn't raise her voice, she sounds emotionless, her voice was sound like that for a month and a half since Clementine went away, since Violet stopped waiting for whole days looking at the gates, hoping that brunette will show up at any minute. Blonde got up from her bed and stretched a little and both felt and heard her bones crack, she doesn't sleep good, almost every night she has nightmares of Clementine dying or getting bit, no matter what she would do in her dreams it always ended with brunette getting infected or killed and blonde always survived, Clementine always saved her from death in those dreams. Violet quickly put on her boots and some leather jacket she found in the wardrobe, that Clementine fixed since it was broken, and went to meet Brody on the courtyard. 

The walk in the hallways of dorms is quiet, another thing that changed, now instead of greeting each other in the hallways members of the school either ignore that someone is there too, or they just nod, before Clementine went hallways always had someone talking in them in the morning, is it just a simple greet or a quick chat before the start of the day. As soon as Violet left the building she shivered at the sudden change of temperature, it's too cold for her liking, for everyone's liking really. "How are you felling Vi?" She hears Louis asking, he asks the same damned question every day since Clementine left, she's aware he just tries to help but she doesn't need it, at least she thinks so. 

"I'm fine." The same answer as every day, even if it's a lie, Violet's sure Louis can see through her lies but he doesn't pry for which she's grateful. Louis just nods and walks away to Mitch and Marlon, they're going hunting today and Violet doesn't like Marlon going with them. She still doesn't trust the blond, she knows that he helped to fight off Delta when they attacked school from what she saw he actually managed to hit one of them but it still doesn't change the fact that she doesn't trust him and it's going to take some time before she'll be able to do so. Violet starts to head towards Sophie and Brody, Sophie isn't going with them she just sees Brody off, Clementine did the same with blonde and blonde did the same with brunette. "We're ready to go?" Blonde asks Brody, her voice is somewhat impatient because of the show of affection between Brody and Sophie, she doesn't mind it but she knows that sometimes Brody and whoever she's going fishing or hunting with has to wait additional ten minutes before Sophie lets Brody go. 

"Wait a second." Sophie answers her question instead of Brody before kissing an auburn-haired girl which returned the kiss eagerly. "Now you can go. Stay safe, both of you." Sophie commands, Violet rolls her eyes and Brody just nods, Brody always agrees with Sophie, no matter what, unless it's really stupid, but then they come to a sort of compromise that isn't as stupid and is good enough for Sophie. Sophie now wandered somewhere else while Brody and Violet started to head towards gates, Marlon, Mitch, and Louis were there too waiting for the fishing team, they always go at the same time. After the arrival of girls, Marlon opened the gate and when both the hunting team and the fishing team were outside the school grounds he closed it. Violet is ignoring any talking around her as she's too lost in her thoughts, she still follows Brody but doesn't listen if she's speaking to her or not, but considering that no one tries to speak to her much unless blonde wants to talk. She just wants to do everything she has to today then go and lay down in her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Fuck war. That was one thought that Clementine has in her mind all the time, two months passed and that thought didn't leave her mind it occurred whenever Clem thought of something or someone that she missed from Omar's stew, through Louis' and Marlon's stupid jokes or even AJ's stubbornness, to Violet. She thought it will be easier, just obey orders and it'll be fine, but when 'commanders', as Clem calls them, at least the ones she met, are more stupid than Louis and Marlon together it makes her think that she should stay at school and prepare just in case if Delta attacked instead of going to fight, but she can't back out now, she made a deal with Javi that after the war, no matter if brunette will live or not, he'll make sure that electricity, water, and gas will be back in school, she wouldn't ask for it but he said since she's volunteering and she's not from New Frontier she can choose her price for help, Javi agreed to it. 

Clementine tried her hardest not to think about school but she couldn't stop herself, whenever she had a spare minute she thought of school, is it Louis' card games, to hunting or fishing, or even just laying with Violet in the bed just enjoying blonde's warmth, she smiles at the thought. If someone would tell her the moment she got in school that this is what she'll be doing to protect those kids brunette would probably laugh in their face, but now, she'd do everything to keep those kids safe, it's her family. What hurts Clem the most is that she said some of her hobbies, one of the repairing things in free time, when she shouldn't, once a month they get back to Richmond to resupply and to let soldiers rest or heal, they have about a week to do so and Clementine couldn't even get to school in this time since everyone has some other 'important' work around the city for her, from working in a workshop on cars to fixing things in the apartments or houses, she didn't even get anything in return for it. For the time of her taking part in the war she got a small apartment of her own, she had a living room connected with kitchen, a small bedroom that barely fit a bed, desk, and a shelf for clothes, and even smaller bathroom but she isn't complaining since she can take warm showers. 

Even if at all time she had people around her she still felt lonely, no one she knew, no one knew her, apart from three or four times she talked with either Javi or Kate she didn't talk much, apart from swearing when something she was repairing or working on ain't working. She wished she could at least see Violet, AJ, anyone from school, what she would give just for one hug from Violet, one more card game, to tickle AJ, she'd give everything, even her life. 

Right now she's sitting at one of the outposts, this one is in abanded school but much smaller then Ericson's, it wasn't boarding school and it was quite small, just one building and from way classrooms look Clem is convinced it's elementary school. A campfire and three other people sitting around it apart from Clem, and another five on patrol around, outposts are usually set pretty close to Delta so patrols are making sure that Delta didn't saw them, campfire giving her some needed warmth but it's not even close to the warmth she feels when she holds Violet in her arms. Three other men are talking, an older commander that surprisingly isn't as stupid as others, and two other soldiers that are young yet still older than Clem, she only knows that commander's name is Elliot. 

Brunette looks at her hands, one of them is holding a cup with some sort of coffee and her other one is empty, but all she sees on them is blood, not hers, but of other soldiers and her enemies, she had to kill so many people just this two months that she doesn't even know what she thinks of herself. "I knew I recognize you from somewhere!" She heard one of the soldiers say, she slowly looked up and saw that all three soldiers are looking at her. "Clementine Everett, right? The one that got away unharmed from Pittsburgh?" She had to tell her last name so they can give her a dog tag, she didn't remember her own so Lee's was the first one that she thought of and the one she told. 

After man mentioned the Pittsburgh shivers went down Clementine's body. "You saved twenty good men there, right?" The same soldier asks, she slightly glares at him, she hates that memory, Pittsburgh, the worst fight she was in. New Frontier heard that Delta might set up a big base there so they sent one team to check it out and if possible, stop them, right after they entered the city they saw that not only Delta is there but Hunters and infected too. The first fight they got in was an ambush, many people died and many people got hurt but they fought off Delta when Hunters attacked and Clementine ordered to retreat to a place where they can set up an ambush since they were sure Hunters will try to hunt them down. 

After the ambush, another couple of men died but causalities on Delta's side and Hunter's side were larger but the worst thing was that they can't get outside the town the same they got inside since Hunters cut them off. Right after the fight commanders checked the condition of wounded people, while Clementine was on watch out. After the five minutes she saw a whole herd of infected, clickers, runners, she even saw two bloaters, she alarmed others and they had to leave a couple of soldiers since they were too wounded to move on their own, brunette still remembers their screams. A couple more fights and by some miracle only she wasn't wounded, and from eighty people, only twenty were alive all of them wounded. Clementine was their only hope of getting out, she killed every person that wasn't New Frontier's soldier, after not entire two hours of fighting, sneaking, clearing paths out, she heard one hunter alerting the others, she told that some mad kid in a hat with 'D' on it killed over eighty hunters and Delta soldiers, the brunette was scared of herself she didn't even know how many people she killed, she thought she's a monster but didn't stop. She killed them since they were blocking the further path and she couldn't sneak past them with twenty other people, they got out in the night through a bridge and quickly started to head towards closes New Frontier outpost. She still remembers the screams, looks on the faces, everything about people she killed. She still thinks she's a monster. 

"You're treated like a hero in Richmond, hell in whole New Frontier." Another soldier said. Commander glared at them when he noticed that brunette didn't want to talk about it. 

"Wyatt, Kyle, leave her alone, maybe she wasn't hurt but believe me, she had the worst of it." Elliot commands them, they shrug at him and continue their previous conversation. "Don't mind them, they're still young and stupid, I heard what happened, you shouldn't be there, not at your age." Commander tells her, she sends him a little smile, a genuine one, before taking a sip of her drink. 

"Thanks for help. I'm not exactly best with people." Another thing that connected brunette and Violet. 

"Don't mention it kid." He smiles back before getting back into conversation with others. 

After ten minutes of thinking about school and finishing her drink tiredness caught up on a brunette and she informed the rest she's going to sleep, it was around midnight. She took out of her backpack that consisted had a rifle, ammo to it, hand-gun ammo to it as well and a sleeping bag she placed it near campfire so she'll be warm, she used her backpack as a pillow and lied down falling asleep a couple of minutes later, soldiers were kind enough to talk a little quieter to let brunette sleep. 

She had a dream that for once wasn't a nightmare, she was back in the school and the whole dream was her playing a card game with Louis, Violet, Marlon and Aasim. After it, she went with Violet to their room and they cuddled, it was just a minute but it was far enough for Clem. 

Brunette woke up to some whining, she opened her eyes with a smile on her face plastered when she remembers her dream, but her expression changes and fear takes over when she sees what stands in front of her, she sees three clickers in the classroom, soldiers around the campfire were gone, no signs of them, and she was alone against three clickers and god knows how many more outside the school.


	4. Chapter 4

The fishing went well, better than expected, but hunting didn't go that well, traps were untouched by any animal and the only animal they were able to hunt is one rabbit, it was bigger than others, but it was too little for everybody at school, and that makes everyone grateful for the number of supplies Clementine gathered in such short time as well as for the system Mitch and Aasim had, if not that someone would be starving tonight, and now everyone will be fed. Violet wasn't paying attention to anything apart from the woods around them in case infected will appear from the woods, she was lost in her thoughts again, the ones she tried so hard to fight off, about Clementine, everything about her, from just how brunette looks to all feeling Violet had whenever brunette was around, is it brunette's first day in their school or the day when she left, Violet wasn't exactly sure what she felt back then, she felt hurt not by the fact that Clem leaves then, she understood why brunette was leaving, she was hurt because she was aware that Clem might not come back and that it was last moments she had with the brunette she hated herself that she didn't talk to brunette before she had to go, she was too scared to even try and gathered courage just minutes before Clem left, she understood that day after Clem left and now, looking that Clem still didn't come back, it makes Violet hate herself even more because she might never have a chance to tell Clementine that she loves her, it hurts her the most. 

Right now Violet was sitting alone waiting for the stew and after it arrived she heard that Minnie, Sophie, Louis, and Aasim whispered about something, she doesn't care what about but at least someone tries to talk, she quickly eats the stew, her mind at that moment is completely blank, she doesn't know what to think, in one moment she thinks about all the things she was doing with Clementine when she was back in school making a small smile appear on Violet's face, then she thinks something might have happened to brunette even if she hates those thoughts, and sometimes she just can't think of anything no matter how hard she tries. It wasn't even five minutes later when she tried wanted to put the bowl away and went to her bed, but she felt someone grab her by the wrist. She turned around and glared at Louis as he was the one to grab her but she saw a grim expression on his face, it wasn't usual to see him like this. "We need to talk Violet." He says to her, his voice isn't as loud as usual and it's also completely emotionless, she looks at the remaining three sitting at the table, all having the same expression as Louis. Violet complies and sits next to him. 

"What do you want? I'm tired, I want to go to sleep." Violet asks with an annoyed voice, she isn't tired, everyone at the table knows it but they ignore it. 

"We talked about it, we need your opinion, you know Clem didn't come back yet and it was two months already..." Louis starts, his voice is quiet, too quiet for Louis, even Aasim would be annoyed at this as Louis is always cheerful but he at least tells something in comparison to the rest people at the table. "We should talk to AJ, tell him that Clem probably won't come back." Aasim continues, and Louis backs it up. 

Violet couldn't believe what she hearing from her friend, Louis was the one to believe Clem will come back no matter what, he was the one to tell her that every damn day, he was telling the same to AJ and now he wants tell him that Clem, someone who is like a mother to him, won't come back, Violet still had hope that brunette will come back that brunette just didn't have time to come to the school but something was telling her that Clem might not come back, Violet would be totally broken if that would happen but she doesn't say it's not possible. "She's still alive, I'm sure of that, but even if, who's going to tell that to AJ? Me? I can barely handle thinking about her, Minnie and Sophie? We can't just let them handle every issue with AJ. You know what? In my opinion, we should wait a little longer, if she won't come back we will come back to this conversation. Do what you want, I don't care." Violet tells them and storms off, she doesn't want to talk about that, she doesn't even want to think that Clem is dead, she still has hope and will hold to it until they'll heave evidence that Clem is dead, otherwise, she won't believe them. 

Violet heads to hers and Clementine's room as fast as she possibly can without drawing attention, she doesn't even know where her mind is, she has hope, true, but she can't help but think that Louis might be right, she tries to fight those thoughts but they're stronger than she is. As soon as Violet enters the room she lies on the bed and closes her eyes, trying to mute her thoughts off, don't think of Clementine for one minute, just for one, but she can't do anything to stop, the longer brunette is gone the tougher is for Violet to ignore numbness and hurt inside her heart, she wishes she would convince Clementine to never leave, that they'll be ready if Delta will come, but she didn't and she regrets that so much. She just wants Clementine back.


	5. Chapter 5

Brunette for once didn't know what she's supposed to do, she's laying on her sleeping bag, backpack as a pillow and there are infected in the same room. Fear is all over her, the chances of her getting out of there without getting bit were slim. She slowly sat up not making a single sound while doing so. She glanced nervously at the clicker and her heart stopped when she heard infected starting to click, slightest noise and she's dead. She waited for it to end clicking before slowly reaching for her backpack with two of her hands and picking it up. She hoped that nothing will fall out of it. She couldn't open the backpack without making a noise, but she could try and stand up, it is risky but maybe she'll find something to distract clickers with and in the worst case, she can try running. Just as she got up clicker violently turned to her and started to click once again, she holds her breath for what felt like hours and hours before she heard steps getting closer and closer to her as well as clicking and she can't even back up without getting infected's attention. 

It was about two meters away when Clementine heard a clicker's screech from outside the building, infected that was standing right in front of her heard it and run outside the building leaving relieved yet still scared Clementine. She quickly opened her backpack, took out a map with closest New Frontier's base that this outpost was supposed to go if they had any kind of trouble and she's sure that commander and two other soldiers headed there too, she also took her pistol, a Beretta M9 she left her bow and shotgun back at the Richmond squad's task she's in is covering patrols nothing more and the area was quite calm and she didn't want to take more than needed. She didn't really trust that since she wasn't the one to check that and she knows that some people are too afraid to walk in some places to check them out, she took her flashlight too. Brunette looked around the classroom she was in, one wall was collapsed but going through the debris will alert clickers around and walking out through the door leading to corridors of school might be dangerous too because sitting in tight corners with clickers all around isn't a good idea so she looks at a window or what's left of it, she silently gets closer to it and looks outside, no infected in sight but rain and darkness aren't making her sure but she prefers to have where to run away so she jumps out and hopes that no infected heard her. After waiting for ten seconds and not hearing any footsteps getting closer or clicking she took the map out as well as a flashlight out and started to look at the map after illuminating it with her flashlight she quickly knew where to go. 

She got across the street leaving a pack of infected behind her, a relief went throughout her body, she was sure it might be the end for her but she was now quickly getting closer and closer to the base but it was good ten kilometers away from the school so the walk there might take a while and New Frontier only uses vehicles while getting from one base to another or back to New Richmond but mostly when transporting supplies from base to base. Clementine wasn't sure what she's supposed to feel about soldiers that just left her behind she was sure she felt rage for their actions but she's curious if they had a reason to leave her behind but she's almost sure she'll hit one of them in the face at least once. 

As she was looking at the map again trying to determine if she's close already the sun was already blinding her lightly whenever she got outside of trees shadows, she was about ten minutes away from the base if she had to guess, she liked the idea since their order was to get back to New Richmond right after they left their outpost, thinking about it Clementine wonders what happened to people on the patrol, and the best thing was that they didn't have to walk they'll ride with an SUV that Clementine repaired about a month ago. Rage for soldiers leaving her died a little but the brunette isn't sure if it won't come back when she'll see the soldiers again, she wonders if they're even still at the base or if they already left making her wait for another squad to get back from the patrol and it could take at least one week and she doesn't want to wait a week or even longer, honestly she might try and walk there as it might be even faster than waiting for a patrol to end, she was on hers for two weeks total, and in school for two days. 

As she got close to a gas station that got reinforced with all sort of vehicles and barbed wire just so infected won't get inside that easily and it does make the job harder for people too, right as she was on the wide street she had to cross to get inside she heard faint footsteps from gas station direction and after that she heard a rifle getting ready to fire, she looked on the roof of the building after a man on lookout asked her who she is. 

"Who the hell do you think?! Clementine Everett!" She shouted to him, he seemed to relax a little and he did put his rifle down. He definitely wasn't any of the soldiers that left her, she'd recognize him. 

"Guys! She's alive!" He shouted down, quickly three other people started to open entry for her and she recognized that both of them were Wyatt and Kyle, soldiers from last night and before she even could realize all her rage was back and she punched Kyle straight in the face but before she could punch Wyatt too someone grabbed her to stop her. 

"Kid, calm down!" She recognizes Elliot's voice, she struggles for a couple of seconds and gets out of his grip then turns to him with her face showing all the fury she has for three. 

"Calm down?! I almost got torn apart by clickers and I'm supposed to calm down?!" She shouts at him, she clenches her fist but does her best to not punch someone again but it won't take much for her to punch someone. "Come on, try to explain why I almost died." 

"We heard some fighting not far from school, we thought it's safe there so we left you there whilst we went to look for the source of those sounds, we came back and saw that clickers we're all over the place, we were sure you're dead." Elliot tries to explain, Clem tries to remain calm as she doesn't buy it, it wasn't their job to check that kind of thing it was the job of whoever was patrolling the streets. Wyatt helps Kyle up, he has a busted lip and is a little confused about what just happened. 

"Stop with the bullshit, it wasn't our job!" 

"Whole patrol is dead. We found their bodies all torn apart by infected probably, could be the same that were at the school." Wyatt tells her, she didn't see any bodies but that could be true, at least it sounds more true than saying the checked out something they heard. "And some of 'em had bullet holes." 

"Delta? But we didn't hear any shots, how's it possible?" Clem forgot about her anger in a moment, they'll have to tell Javi about it, if someone attacked them with a suppressed weapon it will make patrols harder to react. 

"We don't know, suppressors I think, the thing is that we're supposed to go to Richmond either way, actually, we aren't there yet because we wanted to wait for you." Elliot replies, Clementine sighs, it's not entirely their fault but they could at least try and wake her up, she doesn't mean actually going inside the school to try but trying at least, if they wouldn't succeed she'd understand, they didn't even try. 

Clementine without any words started to head towards cars that aren't used as barricades, pulled the key out of her pocket, she wonders how they wanted to get away if she had the key, and opened the car, Kyle, Wyatt, and Elliot followed her and got inside after her. "Kyle, just so you know, I'm not sorry." She tells him and turns the vehicle on without much trouble, she at least knows she does her job well, one of them anyway. Kyle chuckles a little at her words before starting to talk with Wyatt again, they were sitting in the back while Clementine was driving and Elliot sits in front. "Tell me, did you think how morale would suffer if I'd die? I'm New Frontier's 'hero' after all." Clem asks Elliot with sarcasm in her voice, she hates treated like a hero, attention is the last thing she wants. 

"Sure I considered it, but I'm not suicidal yet, I ain't getting in between tens of clickers, how'd you survived anyway?" He asks her, she tells him exactly what happened and chuckles. "You have a lot of luck kid." She knows she has luck and she also knows it's going to run out sooner or later. They started to drive to Richmond, it should take about twenty hours, depends if they'll encounter any trouble along the way.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you expected Violet's chapter but I don't know what's more I can tell about her state of mind there will be a couple more chapters with her but a little bit later in the story, now it'll be a little focused on Clementine.

Coming back to Richmond wasn't making Clementine relieved, she hated the place because of people not giving her at least five minutes of peace and quiet unless she's in her apartment but she hopes she'll be able to talk with Javi about what happened on her patrol, well, he'll ask her what happened before asking Elliot so she won't have to try and find him. As soon as they arrived at the gates and got inside the city Clem sat outside the car, it's not her car as far as her knowledge goes it's 'military' as she calls it so someone else takes care of it and she's not responsible for it. Clementine quickly started to her apartment, of course, a couple of people tried talking to her but she ignored them, she's too tired for their shit, so whenever someone approached her she quickened her pace and ignored what they were saying. "Clem, wait!" She hears Javi's voice from somewhere behind her, she just gestures to him to follow her. 

As soon as they got inside Clementine's small apartment Clem threw her backpack near the table and pistol along with the holster on the wooden table creating a dull sound in the process. "You seem... Uh, pissed?" He mutters out when he sees Clementine throwing her stuff, she turns to him and narrows her brows. 

"Oh yeah! I'll be cheery when my team left me to get devoured by a bunch of clickers. I barely escaped! I'm tired of this shit Javi, I'm risking my life every damned time I walk outside these walls, and yes, other soldiers risk it too but it feels like I do if far more often." Clem says with a raised and annoyed voice, she places her hands on hips and glares at Javi as it was his fault even if she knows it's not and doesn't blame him. "Plus, most of the team is dead, Delta or some other fuckers with suppressors killed them." 

"Damn, we need to send peoples for bodies... About what happened to you, I wanted to this for long but never had the people to do so..." Javi gets dragged away to his thoughts, Clem is now curious what he means so she asks him. "It's a surprise, I'll tell you tomorrow, and to 'compensate' what happened, tomorrow you don't have to do anything." Javi says and Clem furrows her brows even further trying to make him say what he's planning but Javi just says goodbye and walks out. Clem huffs a little at this and goes to her backpack and takes out all food she took with her and takes it to the kitchen to takes out a plate, places a sandwich she packed on the plate and the rest to the fridge, she's still amazed they have this stuff, even if she had to repair it herself. 

She was sitting on the couch, her sandwich in one hand, a book in her other, she doesn't even know what's the title is, she just took the first book she saw to take her mind off things and it's been working. She finished her sandwich, her eyes glued to pages of the book, and instinctively wiped her hand to her pants to get all crumbs of bread that stuck to her palm. She marked the page she was on with some old piece of paper, picked up her backpack, and took it to the bedroom. She placed her book on the desk, next to a shotgun, and her backpack next to the desk. She took a quick shower, just to get all the dirt, mud, and blood she had on herself then headed to her bed, she was really tired, at least more than usual. When she lied down she felt the same thing as always, lack of familiar warmth in her arms. Clementine hugged herself and tried to trick her mind into thinking she holds Violet to find at least some peace to her mind, she tried the same thing so many times and it always failed, but she still hoped that it'll work at least once. She slowly drifted to sleep but her mind still failed to imagine holding Violet, now she just hopes that she won't have any nightmares something she had almost since she got in Richmond. 

Clementine opened her eyes slowly, glad she didn't have any nightmares, it was one of the not many nights she didn't have one. She climbed out of the bed and quickly dressed, it was still dark outside so she still had some time to read the book and maybe eat something. As she was preparing some breakfast her mind was wondering what Javi's 'surprise' is, if it's a whole week of not having to do anything she'll be happy since she'll be able to visit school, stay there for a day or two it would be enough for her, maybe at least she would get rid of nightmares. When she started to eat she went for the same book she was reading last night it again helped to not think about her worries. 

When she was done with her breakfast she took her jacket and headed outside the building, she didn't saw anybody on the streets so she doesn't have to deal with anyone's bullshit, she likes helping around, sure, but when people in the middle of their thirties ask her to fix something as easy as replacing a door it gets annoying very fast, on the other hand, whenever someone older that won't be able to do much themselves ask her for help she agrees without thinking about it much since they can't do it themselves and thinking about elderly people, Clem thought of someone that's for sure is already awake so she quickly headed to their house. 

She knocked lightly on the door of the renovated house, she helped to renovate it and it was the only thing she enjoyed helping with since the owners of the house are chill and allowed her to bring over speakers from her house and put some music on to not get bored along with two other teenagers that helped from what she heard they were grandchildren of the married couple inside the house. After a not entire minute an elderly woman opened the door and smiled when she spotted Clementine and pulled her into a hug which she happily reciprocates. "How are you, Clemmy?" She asks in a sweet voice before stepping aside to let Clementine inside. This woman is the only person Clem will ever let call her 'Clemmy' Louis once tried and the glare he got from the brunette made Violet's whole week. "Will, look who paid us a visit." She says to his husband, he was reading some book. When William looked at her he smiled and chuckled a little. 

"I heard you almost got eaten by a pack of clickers? What was it about?" He asks gently, she comes closer to the table on which his book was now resting and sat on the chair, his wife, Lisa, joined them right after. She told them what happened, Lisa had a terrified look on her face while William's was angry. "Assholes." He muttered and it was now Clem's turn to chuckle. 

"I already knocked one out." 

"And here I thought that I'll have to do it for ya." He laughed along with his wife. Clem smiled, they are the only people that are truly nice and kind to her and they don't want anything in return, they wouldn't even ask Clementine for helping with the house if she wouldn't offer it herself. 

"How you two have been? There's anything I can help with?" She asks with a kind voice, they both just smile and shake their heads almost in a union. 

"Same old same old, and since you helped with the house it's like nothing never breaks it's a nice change not having to rely on someone to help us." Lisa informs, Clementine's happy to know at least she did her job well. They chatted for another half an hour mostly about what was happening in Richmond when Clem was gone one of their grandchildren got married and Clem thought that it may be too fast since he's nineteen but thinking about the world they all live in now it's probably better to do it faster than later. As the older couple kept talking about the marriage of one of their grandchildren Clem was thinking about her relationship and where she and Violet will end up, maybe married too Clem likes to think that they'll be lucky enough to get married and get old together but in this world, it's not very likely every day is a struggle for life, even inside the walls of big communities. "And you Clem? Do you have someone? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" He rips her away from her thoughts, she looks at him for a second a little bit startled by the question, in her head she asks herself if she should be honest with them. 

"Yeah... A girlfriend back at the school." She told them something about herself, for example, that she's not living in Richmond but a boarding school. Her tone is saddened as all memories about blonde flood her mind again and the older couple seems to notice it. 

"Tell us about her, what she's like?" Lisa asks, Clem thinks a little about that question wanting to give them the best explanation she can. 

"She's the most beautiful person on this world, she was a little bitchy at first but that was my fault too, the longer I was around her the more I understood how similar we are, after a small 'accident' AJ did they wanted to throw us out and she was one of the three that backed me up, she sees how this world is and that it's not black and white, she doesn't give herself false hopes..." Clem mutters out the last part, it now hits her she broke her promise she didn't forget about this she just didn't have even time to think about this. "Oh fuck." 

"What?" William asks a little surprised by brunette's words, he never heard her swear. Clementine grabs her head. 

"I promised them I'll visit them in one month if the war won't be over by then... It was over two by now, she might think I'm dead... Oh god, I need to get there now." Clementine states and gets up quickly from the table, she doesn't even want to think what Violet could do if she thought that Clementine's dead those thoughts frighten her brunette knew Violet needs her yet she still didn't keep her word. She remembers their conversation before getting Louis, Omar, and Aasim back. That she can't lose her. "Bye." She says in a raised voice to them before rushing outside the building to find Javi, she needs to tell him she's going no matter what he thinks about it. 

She runs through the city passing different people as she looks around looking for him until she bumps into someone, she's quickly back on her feet and looks on who she bumped into. "I was looking for you." Javi says. Clementine tries to catch her breath before saying anything. 

"I need to get outside Richmond... For four days at most." She informs him, she didn't even listen to what was he saying. Javi places his hands on his hips before answering. 

"We can talk about this later, I need to show you what I was talking about yesterday." He offers, Clem shakes her head but he just walks away gesturing to follow him and Clem does it knowing she won't be able to talk about her problems before. After five minutes they're at the workshop and Clem's blood starts boiling, if he thinks she'll go on and repair yet another vehicle then he's in a deep mistake. "So, I'll get to the bottom of it, you know how to command people, how to make tough choices, something others can't, so I thought that you should be leading your squad." He says and points to two other people, not enough people for a squad doing patrols, that's for sure, and when he sees intrigue written on her face he hurries to explain. "You won't be a normal patrol squad, you'll be 'recon' if you can call it that, you will scout out far deeper into Delta's territory, checking where it's safe and where it's not." 

Clementine looks at two other girls standing in front of her, standing straight with emotionless expressions on their faces. "Really?" She asks not believing his words, she wanted to lead her squad just to be able to do things her way and not listening to some asshole's orders. "Okay... I'll do it only if you'll let me go for four days from Richmond." She uses his offer against him, he chuckles a little before agreeing, he pats her on the back wishing her good luck before leaving the workshop. "Who are you two?" 

"Jade ma'am." A pale tall redhead with a huge amount of freckles on her cheeks says, she has green eyes and soft features. 

"Kate ma'am." Tanned, a little shorter brunette says, she has brown eyes and sharper features than redhead has. 

"For starters, cut this 'ma'am' shit, call me Clementine or Clem either is fine. Secondly, I don't expect much from you two just follow my orders. And I do want to get to know you two a little better to know with who I'm working with, but I need to get out of here but when I come back I'll need a couple of answers, understood?" She didn't mean to come off this rash but she needs to get back to Violet. 

"Understood." They both say, she dismisses them and they both walk off in one direction. Clementine quickly starts heading back to her apartment, she grabs her backpack, shotgun, pistol, ammo, keys to her car, and a little bit of food from the fridge. She walks outside the apartment, closes the door, and runs down the stairs jumping off from a couple of last steps, her car is parked not far from here and she immediately gets inside of it, putting her backpack on passenger's seat she turns the car on and heads towards the gates hoping Violet didn't do anything to herself.


	7. Chapter 7

Clementine drove as fast as engine allowed her, she didn't care if she crashed into something or not she had to get back to school as fast as possible just to check how the school's doing and if Violet didn't do anything to herself, brunette won't forgive herself if a blonde did something to herself just because she thought that brunette's dead, Clementine already hates herself because she didn't give any sign of life, she could at least write some short letter and leave it in a shed for fishing she probably would be able to get away for two days because she's sure William and Lisa could tell she's working at their place and that brunette has no time to help anyone else. Clementine's worried that when she comes back the only thing she'll find is Violet's grave and everyone blaming her for blonde's death. 

Clementine tightens her grip on the steering wheel when thoughts that Violet could be dead haunt her mind, Clementine can't lose Violet just like Violet can't lose Clementine. Brunette was tired, it was the middle of the night but she can't and won't stop until she reaches the school. She can already imagine people calling her reckless for driving like that if the world would be the same as before she would be going far over the limit. The route to the school isn't easy but Clementine studied it when she decided she will go to Richmond and she's not that far from the school about ten minutes of driving, even less with the speed she's driving with. She took a turn to the woods and slowed down a bit, her car isn't meant to drive in that terrain. Clementine took a look at the watch on her wrist, New Frontier gave them away to most of the soldiers to keep track of time and it was midnight so someone still should be on the watch, at least she hopes so. When she saw walls that were illuminated by a torch on the watchtower she started to slow down until she stopped right in front of the gates. She opened the door so whoever is on the watch could see her she only heard someone say 'no fucking way' and when she looked at the watchtower no one was there anymore, she heard the gates being open so she got back inside the car and drove inside the walls. 

She put on her backpack and again got outside the car and before she even knew someone was hugging her but she couldn't even see who until she was free again. "We thought you died." Brunette hears Minnie say. Clementine's mind panics a little when she hears that they thought she died. "Only Violet and AJ didn't think that way." A wave of relief washes over Clementine. 

"How are they?" Clementine asks trying not to sound tired or worried she doesn't want anyone to worry about her since she should be the one worrying about those in school. 

"AJ's fine, Violet took the worst of it." Minnie says in a low voice and all the panic is back again. Clementine clenches her fist trying to hide all the worry again, she can't even think of Violet hurting herself without words of hate towards herself in her mind. 

"Okay, I'll go to her." Clementine quickly says and before Minnie could say anything brunette runs off to the dorms and quickly navigated to hers and Violet's room. She tried opening the door but they were closed and she didn't hear anyone saying anything on the other side of the door so she used one skill that might be useful she learned in Richmond. After a couple of minutes of trying to pick the lock she finally opened the doors and walked inside, she saw blonde sleeping but shifting from one side to another and mumbling something under her breath. Clementine closes the door again, puts the backpack on the desk and kneels beside the bed, she doesn't want to scare the blonde or make her think she's dreaming when she'd wake up in the morning in brunette's arms. Brunette lightly shook blonde's shoulder and Violet shifted again but brunette saw Violet lightly open her eyes allowing brunette to see those emerald eyes she missed so much. "I'm back." Clementine whispers when Violet opened her eyes completely. Brunette saw shock in Violet's eyes at first and then she saw blonde tearing up a little making Clementine do the same, she quickly wrapped her arms around Violet while blonde did the same. Clementine enjoyed the warmth, smell, everything she enjoyed and loved about blonde while blonde did the same about things she loves about the brunette. 

Clementine climbed into the bed giving blonde an even tighter hug. "I'm fine." Clementine assures, blonde doesn't let go of her she doesn't even think about doing that and neither does brunette one of the most things both of them missed is holding each other in their arms. Violet buries her head into Clementine's neck, a small smile forming on her lips while Clementine has a big toothy grin plastered on her face. 

"I missed you so much." Violet whispers, Clementine turns her head and kisses blonde on the forehead. 

"I missed you too." Clementine says when she pulls away slightly. She shifts Violet closer to herself wanting blonde to be as close as she possibly can, feel as much warmth from Violet's body as possible. Now, for the first time for two months, both girls managed to fall asleep not even a minute after laying down. For the first time for the last two months, neither of them has a nightmare, both of them feeling safe and protected just by the other one's presence just because they feel the other's warmth next to them. 

The next morning the smile from Clementine's face didn't disappear, the first thing she felt before even opening her eyes is that she feels far more rested than she was whenever she was sleeping in Richmond, second one is slow, warm breath slightly tickling the side of her neck. She opened her eyes and looked on her right seeing Violet's peaceful face still sleeping, normally she'd have to wake Violet up to do start and do chores around the school but looking that she can only spend two days with people in school, since she has to spend the fourth day on coming back to Richmond, she wants to spend as much time as possible with Violet and others. Clementine focuses on sharp features of the green-eyed girl, on her silent snoring that could be easily overheard if not focused on it. Clementine brushes her lips against Violet's forehead again but more gently than last night to not wake up a sleeping girl. A couple of minutes passed and Clementine tried to move slightly but her shoulder moved a little bit too fast making Violet stir in her sleep. Violet's eyes slowly opened and a smile formed on her face when she saw that brunette's still there and this wasn't just some dream. She pressed her lips against Clementine's proving again that this is not a dream because every other time Violet dreamt that she woke up next to brunette it always ended before she could kiss her girlfriend. 

Clementine smiled even wider into the kiss, she nearly forgot how it felt. It ended quickly, Clementine whined a little when Violet pulled away. "For how long you can stay?" Violet asks with hope that Clementine will say that she won't have to come back. Clementine's small falls a little. 

"Only two days." Clementine replies with low and sorry voice, now Violet's smile falls too and Clementine feels guilty for all the pain she probably caused. "I didn't visit a month ago because people used me as a fucking handyman," Clementine says with a sort of annoyance in her voice. "Every month we get a week to rest, or heal, and I barely could do anything because everyone needed me to fix something." 

Violet nods lightly understanding Clementine. Clementine looks at her watch and it's only seven in the morning, too early to get up but she doesn't know if she'll be able to fall asleep again that easily. "I got promoted to a commander yesterday." Clementine admits and Violet kisses her on the cheek. 

"Congratulations." 

"I wouldn't be so excited, I'm leading a squad that's supposed to get deep inside Delta's territory to check their outposts, bases." Clementine explains and Violet nods slowly. 

"Can't you just stay? Not to go back there and be done with this?" Violet asks and Clementine shakes her head and hears Violet breathe out in disappointment. 

"No. I made a deal with the leader of New Frontier, if I help with the war he will get water, electricity, and gas here, we could live like before all of this, imagine, hot showers, being able to read books in the night because you could have a light on, we could have music when we dance." Clementine says and it seems to convince Violet a little even if brunette is sure that her girlfriend would like her to be safe than being able to have showers because they managed without for a long time now but Violet is also proud that Clementine cares more about her and their friends well-being than her own safety. 

"You don't have to, I don't need any of those things if you'll be dead in the end." Violet retorts but Clementine shakes her head, Clementine prefers doing anything to keep her girlfriend and friends happy. 

"Don't worry about me, you know it's hard to kill me." Clementine assures half-jokingly and Violet rolls her eyes. 

"Doesn't mean it's impossible." Violet argues, Clementine kisses Violet lightly trying to calm blonde down. Brunette doesn't want the blonde to worry about her, she managed to survive on the road for good five years, she can survive the war, she's sure of it. 

"Many people tried to kill me, no one managed to actually kill me and it won't change." Clementine promises as she pulled away slightly, her breath hitting Violet's lips making blonde slightly less worried. 

"I hope you're right..." Violet whispers and Clementine connects their lips again for a brief moment. 

"When am I not?" 

"You're starting to sound like Louis." Violet jokes and Clementine giggles lightly making Violet's heart melt at the sound. 

"God no." Clementine still giggles making Violet slightly chuckle too.


	8. Chapter 8

Violet almost immediately saw one thing that changed and she spent only a couple of minutes with her since they woke up, brunette was far more strict with her schedule. Before she went to fight she always found an excuse to stay with Violet in bed for just a couple of minutes more and right now blonde was watching brunette unpacking a couple of clothes for two days she's going to stay, but what also got her attention is the shotgun she never saw Clementine have and it seemed like a type that military used but she can't be sure, only Clementine knew something about guns. "You always had that shotgun and I'm blind or did you find it?" She asks as brunette puts the last shirt in the wardrobe. Clementine went to the bed and sat on it before replying. 

"Found it on some corpse when I was going to Richmond, I prefer having my own gun than use some that may blow in my hands." She didn't mention the state the body was in, completely ripped apart, and if Clementine had to guess it was some infected. Clementine fought with the urge to lay back with Violet but she knew that if she will give in it might end in her not getting up for god knows how long. "Come on. Apart from you, only Minnie knows I'm back." Brunette said and stood up, she knew her blonde girlfriend didn't like it but she wanted to AJ know she's back too. When she saw that Violet wasn't getting up too she gently grabbed her hand and pulled her up, finally making her stand up. She heard Violet slightly groan as she stumbled behind the brunette wanting to get back to bed for some time more because she finally slept well. 

Brunette felt a little bit of guilt knowing that she went to war without even saying goodbye to AJ, she's aware that twins talked to him but she doesn't have the courage to ask Violet thinking that it may ruin the peaceful quiet between them. They got outside, everyone was at the tables still trying to wake up fully and Clementine smiled weakly knowing that they all are still not thinking clearly and probably won't react until she sits down next to them or says something, she started to head where AJ, Louis, Marlon, and Sophie were sitting. As she walked quietly and heard Louis say. "AJ, I'm not going to lie. You are aware that Clementine might not come back?" She was surprised that Louis was so straight to the point, AJ looked somewhat surprised at his words and Clementine had a great idea. She sneaked up to Louis, AJ already spotted her but she gestured to him to be quiet as she placed her hands quickly on Louis' shoulders. 

"Are you sure?" Louis jumped and screamed at her words as brunette, Violet, and everyone at the table laughed at him. AJ then ran up to her and hugged her, she kneeled down and hugged him back. 

As Louis grabbed his chest while trying to calm down he glared lightly at the brunette. "When and how did you get back?!" He screamed when Clem let go of AJ and sit down at the table next to Violet, others heard his screams and went to check what happened and quickly gathered when they found out Clementine's back. 

She checked her watch with a small smile as she heard people telling how much they missed her. "About eight hours ago, with my car?" Brunette said as she looked around. "Really, no one saw my car? Really?" She asks as people around her shake their heads. Brunette slightly sighs being slightly disappointed, only because she had to see the slightest things change when on patrol and she's still a little bit used to it. People brought what they could to sit around the table where Clementine is sitting, some of them even sitting at the ground. 

"So, war's over." Ruby states, Clementine shakes her head, she can only wish the war would be already over. 

"Nope, I'm staying for today and tomorrow and I have to go back. And getting here cost me." 

"What exactly?" Mitcht asks. 

"Well, I was just a normal soldier two days ago, sitting around the campfire while a small team out of larger one are patroling and changing with them from time to time, we were checking if Delta isn't attacking and if they would we run back to closest base and try to repel the attack. I got promoted yesterday to lead a scout squad, I have two people under me but maybe I'll get some more after I prove myself, but now my job is a lot more dangerous, getting deep into Delta's territory where I don't know what to expect." Clementine explains as good as she can while not trying to scare anyone with her job as she's scared of it slightly herself. And she's almost sure that her first job leading her squad will be investigating who attacked her squad on the patrol but she doesn't want to tell that to others. 

"Oh great! Now we will have to deal with even more worried Violet." Marlon scoffs and Clementine glares at him slightly wishing she could kick him under the table but her legs are far too short to reach his leg. He looked like he saw her glare at muttered an apology. 

"And overall? How long you think it'll take?" Minerva asks and brunette knew that either her or Sophie might ask that but brunette herself isn't exactly sure when, Delta has the will to fight and military training making them tough enemies, sure, some people in New Frontier have it too but not everyone, it's one situation where she wishes David was still alive. 

"Another two months at least, half a year tops, I guess." Clementine tells honestly. She's aware people are worried about her but she can't back out now, not after she made that deal with Javi. She sees the most worry in Violet's eyes, she tries to smile to reassure her but she knows it can't work. "But now that I'm a commander, I don't have to work like some fucking handyman and maybe I could visit you from time to time." She isn't sure if it's a lie or not because she doesn't know if she even will survive the first time she goes out to scout but she can at least try to reassure them. 

"Handyman? I thought you're a soldier." Louis asks and Clementine starts to explain what she did when she was back in the city and they all could hear her disgust in her voice. 

"Only time I did because I wanted to is when an elderly couple and their kids tried to renovate the couple's house, I saw they didn't know what they were doing so I helped them." She has a slight smile on her lips, the disgust in her voice completely gone when she tells them that. As she continues on telling them what she did in Richmond she saw Willy getting back to the watchtower with a bow in his hand. Clementine ended her sentence when she heard Willy scream that he saw infected, the brunette was first to stand up and she was also the first to reach the cellar where they keep their weapons, mostly bows and two pistols, and take a bow along with some arrows. "How many of them?" 

"Three. Maybe more." Willy looks down as Clementine opens the gates and walks outside, alone, she saw blonde and AJ at the gates but before they could even open them brunette was already after the infected, and the only sign of them is just whining and screaming, at least none of them are clicking. When she heard the gates behind them open she quickly gestured them to not open them, she's pretty sure she can handle three infected, and right now she prefers working on her own. 

As she heard one of the screams getting slowly closer she pulled out an arrow and placed it on the bowstring as she focused more on her hearing than her eyesight because she couldn't really see the infected between all of the trees. As she heard a crack behind her she quickly turned around, pulled the string with an arrow on it, and aimed at the place where she heard the noise. Not even five seconds later she heard it running towards her but she patiently waited to see her target, when a Runner emerged from the treeline she let the arrow go hitting her target straight in the head. She jogged up to the corpse and picked up the arrow from infected's head, as she did that she heard two pairs of footsteps getting rapidly closer to her, definitely too rapidly for it to be a person. 

She pulled the same arrow she just used again and aimed at the pair of footsteps that she thought was closer, she knew that at least Violet, Willy, and AJ were watching her and she wasn't going to let them see her getting torn apart by two runners. She picked the wrong target and a runner was running at her, but she didn't aim at it as she knew that another one would emerge in a couple of seconds. When it did she let go of the arrow hitting it in the chest and making it fall dead, she turned quickly to the other infected and it was too close for her to pull another arrow out, pull it, and aim. She still pulled out the arrow but grabbed it like a knife and waited for the infected to get closer, when it threw itself at brunette she got out of his way, kicked in the knee making it fall, she pushed it down with her leg so infected won't stand up and stabbed it in the back of the head with the arrow. "You're alright?" She heard Violet's voice call out to her. Brunette spread her arms as if she was letting Violet see she wasn't bitten. 

She was only hearing the beating of her heart as the adrenaline wore off of her, she went for her arrow that's still in infected's chest and went back to the school, normally they'd burn the bodies but she knows that someone else will take care of it. Clementine was wondering why infected were so close to the school, sure, there were fewer of them when she and AJ crashed some time ago but they didn't have problems with them for quite some time. When she got inside the school she saw blonde's worried look change to a glare, AJ was just looking at them not even trying to say anything. "Before you start, I know I'm stupid, but there were only three of them, I managed." For brunette, it was only three, for blonde it was as much as three and brunette prefers to not say she dealt with worse in New Frontier. 

"Still, you shouldn't go alone." Violet says in scolding tone, Clementine smiles fondly at that knowing that only blonde would question her choices. Brunette walks away, AJ and Violet going after her, blonde being slightly irritated that brunette just ignored her words. Brunette thinks of how she dealt the situation with Violet, she wanted to say something but she didn't know what so she just went in another direction trying to think of something to say, brunette thinks it's funny that she can handle people and infected trying to kill her and always stay alive but she doesn't know how to handle most of her arguments with Violet. Even if what just happened wasn't an argument. 

Clementine sat back at the table, Violet and AJ sat where they were sitting, she could see a couple of impressed looks on her but she wasn't impressed with what she did because she's sure she could deal with it better. "Judging by the blood on your hands I guess you took care of it?" Marlon asks, Clementine thinks why only blonde and AJ went after her when Willy told them about the infected but after a second she reminds herself they usually took care of infected when they went hunting. 

"Yeah." She says as she tries to wipe off the blood on her pants. 

"Why did you fight like that?" Brunette hears AJ asks, while others look at him weirdly she understands what he means, when they were on the road Clementine while fighting the infected never stood in one place and moved a lot and now she barely changed her position after first infected attacked, she started to fight like that since she joined the war because she can't just run away if they're being attacked, she has to stand her ground no matter if they'll win or not, she can't run away unless she gets the order to. And she explained it to AJ and he just nodded. 

After all of the people walked in their own direction brunette went to place the bow back and because Violet managed to take one too she went too. "You changed." Brunette hears Violet stating, Clementine isn't sure if she should be scared or not because she isn't sure what blonde means by that. "Instead of staying in bed, you get up immediately, before you went there you were cautious while fighting even if it was just one runner and now you aren't as cautious as before." Blonde sees brunette's jaw clench and her hand gets tight on the bow to the point it's shaking a little. 

"I'm cautious, just after dealing with some shit in New Frontier I don't treat three runners as a danger." Brunette replies, sure, any infected is dangerous but she can take on three runners without any problem. Violet gets closer and pulls Clementine into the hug after she sees that brunette is staring in front of her thinking about something as her hand still shakes a little. 

"I'm just worried about you." Blonde says after brunette wrapped her hands around blonde's torso and pressed her head against her shoulder. They stood like that for a couple of minutes as Violet heard Clementine's shaky breathing slowly get to normal. "You're okay?" Violet asks after brunette pulled away thinking that Clementine will just nod even if brunette is aware blonde saw her teary eyes. 

Clementine opened her mouth to say that she's okay but closed it. "I'm not." Violet was surprised when she heard it and didn't exactly know what to say and neither what caused it, she only knows it's about New Frontier. Violet quickly thought of anything to say. 

"I'll do what I have to as fast as possible and then we can do what you want. Sounds good?" Violet asks and Clementine just weakly nods. Blonde kisses brunette for a quick second and both of them walk outside the cellar. Violet was going to do what she has to so she can spend more time with Clementine while brunette will do everything she can to help blonde.


	9. Chapter 9

The time the school has with Clementine slowly runs out, it's already the second night of her being there and she has to go in the morning, and Violet only looked as Clementine spent her time with AJ most of the day. But she understood why. Brunette didn't come back just for her. But Clementine did promise they'll do something together in the evening, and blonde was looking forward to it. Blonde found out what happened at Pittsburgh last night, she honestly thought that Clementine will snap at some point and just won't be able to talk about it anymore, but she was cold and emotionless while saying that, and blonde was afraid of that Clementine as she knew that nothing was stopping her from reaching her target, even death. 

She saw that AJ is going to dorms, but the brunette wasn't with him, so blonde looked around the courtyard and saw that Clementine was heading towards her. "So what are we doing?" Violet asks as Clementine got closer, brunette just smiled and kissed Violet quickly. 

"This for now." Clementine answers, Violet smiles a little still wanting more but she knows that people are still around the courtyard. Brunette starts dragging blonde by the hand to the dorms, not because Clementine was inpatient but because Violet was still too focused on how the kiss felt to even think about anything else. When they passed the dorm's door Violet was already walking on her own. Violet wondered what they will do, she couldn't exactly find out what because the only thing that Clementine said is that they'll do something together and went out to meet AJ, leaving Violet alone in the bed. They got inside the room and Violet waited for Clementine to tell what she has in mind. "So, there were two things I missed most, stargazing with you and dancing with you. And since I need to be up early, I think we should dance." In comparison to their last dance, that was about a week before Clementine went to the war, it was Clementine that offered her hand, it was actually the first time she had done that, it was always Violet initiating dances. 

Violet took brunette's hand and placed her hands on shorter girl's hips while Clementine put hers on Violet's shoulders. "I missed this." Clementine states as she places her head on Violet's shoulder and getting slightly closer. This dance is better than their first, even if Clementine didn't step on Violet's feet then, it's still better, not only on the ability of dancing but this and stargazing usually got them as close as possible, and no matter what was going to happen it was able to make the whole situation less stressful, like worrying about Delta's attack, neither brunette nor blonde thought about them back on top of belltower. Violet enjoyed the moment until her mind thought that it may be the last dance they'll ever have, Clementine survived until now but it still doesn't define if she will survive after coming back to Richmond. She felt her eyes tear up slightly, she didn't think the dance might end like this, she wanted to enjoy it and not think that Clementine might die there, she wouldn't even be able to say goodbye. 

"I don't want you to go." Violet creaks out, her voice cracking slightly, she felt that brunette raised her head from Violet's shoulder. Her vision got blurry, she didn't saw the painful smile brunette had on her face, Clementine knew that Violet never liked the idea of her going to fight something she shouldn't. "I'm fucking pathetic." She says after she realizes that she actually started to cry, she isn't sure if it's because Clementine has to go back to war tomorrow or the thought it may be the last time they ever dance, that it may be the last thing they ever do together. Clementine stands a little on her toes and kisses Violet gently, they stopped dancing by now. 

"You're anything but pathetic." Clementine assures putting all of her heart trying to convince Violet it's true. Brunette didn't think Violet's pathetic even for a second, back when Delta was about to attack them, Violet showed the least of fear in her and when they were going to get Louis, Omar, and Aasim back Violet wasn't afraid about her life but brunette's. 

"I am, I'm already crying like you're dead, and you're here." 

"And what do you think I'd be if I would be in your place? The same if not worse." Clementine can't even imagine what she would do if it would be Violet going to war and she would have to stay here. "Come on." Clementine pulled Violet laying with her on the bed and hugging her as tightly as she could, giving Violet the shoulder to cry on. 

"Please don't go." She knows that Clementine has to go, but she just wishes, pure wish she wouldn't have to. Clementine thinks of a way how she can reassure Violet that she will be alright, but she knows that there isn't a way she could do that. 

After ten minutes of Violet begging Clementine not to go, and Clementine thinking of a way to calm blonde down, brunette knew that she won't be able to find any way to calm Violet down, so she just held her as close as possible, wishing it will be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so short, but I didn't save the original chapter and then a storm happened and the whole chapter got deleted, so I had to improvise.


	10. Chapter 10

She threw the backpack at passenger's seat, she hated the idea of leaving, especially after Violet's breakdown yesterday. Violet was standing next to her watching as she put her backpack inside the car, she felt nervous about this, her heart racing as Clementine approached her after she closed the door, a reassuring smile on her face, for which she was glad for. She told her goodbyes to the rest of school, Violet included but blonde insisted she'll see her off at the car. They looked at each other for a good minute. "I don't like it either." Clementine says, she had a plan that might work on assuring Violet she'll be fine. "And I have no words of assurance, and I feel bad for not having them. But action speaks louder than words so..." Brunette took a deep breath before taking her hat off and handing it to Violet and before she could even try to refuse it. "Keep it until I get back because I'm sure as hell ain't dying without it." She says with a smile and Violet reluctantly takes it in her hands. A smile forms on her lips too, blonde quickly pulls brunette into a hug. It was quick though because both of them knew it might end with at least one of them tearing up slightly. "I'll be back someday." 

"I believe that." Violet answers and walks away, that smile still on her face. Clementine feels as proud waves down on her. But she wasn't still certain she will survive the war and that thought is always at the back of her head and she can't even imagine what Violet might do to herself if she finds out that Clementine died and she would find out because brunette asked Javi if she dies to get her body to the school for a proper burial at the place she calls home. She quickly called Louis. 

She didn't feel like sugar-coating her plan and she knew that Louis would understand looking that he's Violet's best friend. "Listen, if I die make sure Violet won't try to do anything to herself, okay?" She saw the mixed expression on Louis' face. "I'm just worried, and you remember what I told, my role there is even more risky than before." She explains and he just slightly nods, she was honestly surprised he didn't say any joke or anything like that. "I'll tear your dreads out from the afterlife if you fuck this up." She tells him before he walked away and he just smirked. 

"You'd have to reach them first shortie." She wanted to argue with him about her height but she knew it was just pointless, so she got inside her car. Brunette took another deep breath in, leaving the school for the second time was even harder for her than the first time knowing how Violet was worried about her. 

She turned the car on and drove away from the school, trying not to think about it too hard. She was in the same hurry she was when she was getting to the school as she wanted to make it in the time limit she got from Javi, even if she's aware that he wouldn't mind if she'd be late an hour or two. 

The ride wasn't that much more exciting than the last one but now a pack of infected chased after her and she had to test the limits of the car and risk it breaking as they were catching up. It was getting dark with each second, and she was tired too, she didn't exactly get much sleep yesterday since her mind was too preoccupied with the blonde. 

Guards on the walls let her in without question, they remember her car. She quickly parked under the building she lives in, gets out, and closes the car. With slow steps, she starts to head towards the building. "You're back." She hears Javi's voice, she groans quietly, she was hoping she might get some sleep without having to deal with anyone today. 

"Yeah, you doubted it?" 

"Slightly, I thought you might get back later." He admits. 

"Okay, what do you want? You wouldn't stop me if it wouldn't be important." She hurries him, she isn't in the mood to talk about how her trip was or anything like that. 

"I have your first assignment." He says she gestures to him so he will continue. "I want you and your squad to check out if it was Delta that killed our men when you were on patrol." She sighs, she was right that she will have to do it, and looking that they took out their soldiers without anyone hearing a thing means that they aren't amateurs and most probably are dangerous, almost like anyone these times. 

"I'll think more about it tomorrow, I'll start preparing tomorrow too and will tell you how long I need to prepare." She tells him, he nods in agreement and she's glad for that. Brunette finally gets inside her apartment. No matter how much she hated staying away from her family she liked the opportunity to take a shower, or read something without having to waste candles, but she would still choose her family over it any time. Normally she would take a warm shower, change her clothes, maybe eat something and then go to sleep but she was far too tired to even try and do that, she just mindlessly threw her things next to the door leading to her bedroom and jumped on the bed that was left as messy as she left it. Not even a minute passed when she had fallen asleep


	11. Chapter 11

An obnoxious knocking on the door wasn't what Clementine wanted to hear first thing in the morning, she hoped for a little more sleep. The bed felt empty and cold again, but the brunette ignored it and lazily moved to the door. She expected to see Javi but she just saw the two girls that were assigned to her scout team. "Can it wait?" She asks without a thought, she doesn't have any need to listen to what they have now, not that early in the morning. When the two didn't answer verbally and just shook their heads Clementine groaned and let them inside. "Give me a second." Without waiting for a reply she retreated to the bathroom. She leaned against the sink and looked at the dirty mirror and saw how miserably she looked. 

She quickly washed her face with cold water and dried it off then got back into the room where the two were sitting, Kate and Jade if Clementine recalled correctly. "So what inspired you two to get here that early?" She asks without hiding the irritation in her voice as she sits down on the chair, the two occupying the couch. 

"It's not early. Around ten." Tall red-head explains, Jade. Clementine didn't expect to be that late, but she doesn't think about it much. "Nevermind, Javi told us what we're supposed to do, so we asked the three that were with you on the patrol if they saw anything." 

"They don't have the idea who it was." Kate explains making Clementine whine, she could still be sleeping and the two just got here to tell her they didn't find anything. "But they know from where they were shooting, they were using bows too, and apparently they were shooting from the embankment on the other side of the street where the school is." 

"Great. We can't waste much more time, trails could be seized by now." Clementine thinks, she doesn't want to leave today, but she wants to be done with this as soon as possible. Before any other soldiers get killed. "You think we'll be ready this evening?" The question was more to herself than to the two, the brunette didn't expect she would want to leave so soon, but if they have to follow a trail they have to be there as soon as possible. 

"Probably. We don't need that much." Kate interrupts Clementine's train of thoughts. Brunette nods in agreement. 

"Okay then. Get ready, I'll go tell Javi about our plans and will look for a map of the school's area, maybe I'll find some." Clementine replies, the two nods and leave brunette's apartment. Clementine paced around the living room for a little longer thinking who would have a map, she felt somewhat excited because she has hope that if she does the mission perfectly she'll be allowed to leave more often and visit the school more often too. 

Brunette quickly went to her room and placed her gun in the backpack, and put her shotgun on top of it, so she won't have to look for it. Without doing much more she left the apartment as quickly as possible and went straight to a building of an old library in the city, it was outside the safe-zone of the walls and about an hour walk on foot through all of the debris and to make sure to not fall into any infected. It's possible infected will be inside, but a team usually patrols around the whole town and gets rid of all the infected they see unless they won't be able to handle them. 

Without thinking she barged inside the building, but fortunately for her nothing is inside of the library, at least she can't see or hear anything. She slowly roamed around the bookshelves, looking for any book containing maps, or maps alone. She sees a book named 'Virginian Detailed Guide' the name doesn't sound appealing, but after quickly looking through pages for a second she found a map of the school, on the next page the name of the school and story of it. Content with her findings Clementine leaves the library quickly with a smug smile. 

Looking for Javi didn't take long as she found him in the warehouse where they keep most of the food. "I'm going after them today, we're leaving in the evening." She quickly informed him not even saying hello. 

"Good to see you too." When he sees the glare from Clementine he quickly continues. "Okay, I guess you know something if you want to leave that early." Clementine eagerly nods and opens the book on a marked page. 

She points with a finger at the street, in the area where the bodies probably are. "Elliot told Jade and Kate that they had bows and the arrows were sticking out like they were shot from the embankment here." Her finger moved to the embankment. "So my best guess is that whoever it is left some trails there, or their camp is nearby either way, I'll find them." She explains to him, he just nods at her words. 

"Let's say you won't find them. What then?" 

"I'll think about it then. But most probably we'll separate and look for the camp in the area, or anything that could help us find them." She replies, Javi nods again, he doesn't want to argue about the plan since he can't come up with much better one, it's too late to think that trails will be that visible to send a bigger group to just follow the trails and capture or kill anyone who killed their soldiers. 

Clementine closes the book and leaves the warehouse to get ready, she has a couple of hours, so it won't be that bad, but she still would like to pull a couple of favors around the town to maybe get her and her group radios, and then another couple for batteries. And just finding those persons might take a while.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for all the waiting, but I'll try to come back to writing the same amount of writing as previously, it's more or less explained why I wasn't updating in Finding Home on the last chapter in the notes.

Normally she would already be inside the camp trying to do whatever she could to help herself and her team, but now, after she heard and saw how much people in school were worried it felt different to risk her own health and life, sure, someone had to find out why the patrol was killed, but now she isn't too sure if she wouldn't mind a couple more men to accompany her. "We see a fire. Many people around it, it's here?" She could hear a very hushed voice over the radio. Clementine looked up, this whole camp was built in some sort of large valley between two hills and it could be the only reason why no team of patrols ever spotted it here. 

"If those people are armed with silenced rifles and bows then yes." She whispered over the radio. Brunette heard footsteps around her, she was hiding in a vacant tent with the hope that no one will get here too quickly. "Kate's good with rifles, right?" A positive answer quickly was relayed back. "Jade, leave her yours, when she starts shooting we start causing havoc inside, leave at least one alive." Clementine wasn't too sure if it was a good plan, or even half that good as she thinks it is, but it's the only one she can come up with, there's no way they could clear out the whole camp without no one noticing as more and more people were disappearing. 

"Okay..." Came a hasty voice of Jade on the other side. The brunette could hear the voice of someone telling that they're going to sleep and she clutched onto her knife as hard as she could. "Okay, I found a way inside. Just give us a sign." Brunette should say something back, but she was too focused on the footsteps getting closer and closer to the tent she was in and it was the closest they ever got. "Clementine?" A worried, quiet voice could be heard just as someone armed got inside the tent. 

Not wasting a second Clementine grabbed the man by the collar, pulled him down, and made sure he couldn't release a single noise as she stabbed him in the side of the neck and waited until he was motionless. "I had a problem, wait a second." She sneaked out of the tent and made sure she wasn't visible. "Kate, you see that fat one? Looks like he rules the place, shoot him in the knee when I gave you the sign. Jade, me, and you will shoot anyone who reaches for his gun first just as Kate shot her target." She hid her knife and grabbed her pistol, she wasn't going to fail now when one of them is already dead. What Clementine hoped for was that the fat guy will be too shocked after getting shot to react while she and Jade will clear out the rest and that it will be a quick and swift job. Or at least keeping herself, Jade, and Kate alive. 

"Got it." They both answered. 

She counted for no reason, almost like she predicted for something to happen at some point of her counting, when she was getting close to twenty in her head she saw the fat one turning where Kate is. "Now." 

The command sounded like a formality. A loud gunshot rang through the valley, it had to be done quickly now, if the infected heard it they might be fucked and Clementine did saw a couple of runners roaming near an old forester cabin a couple of kilometers away. 

Speed with which brunette was up from her hiding spot seemed almost like a jolt, bandits didn't even have time to react when she got up and shot two of them effortlessly before they could even reach for their weapons. Screams of pain, agony, the deep voice easily recognized by Clementine, the one belonging to Kate's first target. Jade was the one to shoot right after, and she was able to take down one of them before bandits' guns started roaring, making Clementine and Jade have to take cover. 

Another loud shot while Clementine navigated behind a line of tents hiding behind a demolished car, long overgrown with vegetation. She poked out her head slightly seeing bandits in panic, and she wasn't even surprised, the massacre in Pittsburgh seemed similar when brunette and the team were ambushed. Another kill from Jade's side, bandits focused on her only for not even five seconds before their sniper took down another one, Clementine right after. "Fucking scatter!" One loud voice roared, not of a leader, but bandits obliged anyway. 

She ran across the whole camp when the center of it was cleared from bandits that hid around it. Clementine saw the two of them hiding between the two tents, she walked inside one, light from the campfire made the visible through the thin piece of cloth and she took two quick shots, both aimed at their heads, both of them hitting. Another loud shot, almost like thunder, and another couple of scared screams. And another two of those. If brunette calculations are right, and if Kate didn't miss, there should be four left. 

She left the tent and saw Jade's quick movement of moving aside the sheet serving as entrance and shooting twice. Two left. Jade showed her a thumb up when a shot hit the ground in front of the brunette and she quickly threw herself back to the tent and quickly moved through it making an exit on the other end. A loud shot of a sniper rifle and then a quieter of a pistol, then only agonizing moans of pain. "It's clear!" Jade's voice rings through the camp. 

"Who the hell are you?!" The leader, at least that's what Clementine thinks the fat man is, shouts at Jade as the tall red-head checks the bodies. 

"Your worst fucking nightmare." With that Clementine kicked the men in the head making him go unconscious and Jade just looked at her for a second with a surprised look. Ignoring it Clementine grabbed her radio. "Kate, don't go to us, set off straight to the outpost, me and Jade will see you there." 

"Sure." 

"Jade, take a belt, we don't want him to bleed out." Jade nods and soon comes back with a belt which she quickly applies over the man's knee, if he survives through it he won't be able to walk ever again, his whole knee is a bloody mess, and a quite huge chunk of is missing. 

Clementine and Jade picked him up and as quick as possible with the weight of man got outside the camp and headed to the outpost, Clementine's plan is to wait for the night in the outpost then all the way to the base and from there to New Richmond where Javi and Kate will decide what to do with him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it isn't long and I'm sorry for it. But there's good news too, my country went for online classes meaning I will probably have some more time to write, so you can expect the next chapter rather soon.

Everything went according to plan and it was a huge relief for Clementine when they entered Richmond, they don't know the name of the fat guy, but on the way to Richmond he started screaming and squirming trying to get out of his bonds, and Jade lost her temper and knocked him out. "I think it's worth mentioning that we did damn good back there." She wasn't expecting Jade and Kate to do so well in the end Clementine didn't know much about two women sitting in the car with her. 

Kate was tapping a melody with her fingers on her leg, Jade was leaning her head back one of her hands covering her eyes the other hand being occupied with a gun in case the fat guy wakes up. "It went far better than I expected it to." Jade admits with a tired voice, she volunteered to make sure the fat guy doesn't try anything, because, just like Clementine since the accident with the infected, doesn't trust patrol teams much. "Apart from the part where you almost got shot in the end." Jade comments and Clementine doesn't answer, she hoped to dodge those kinds of situations, but she's also aware that it's almost impossible now. 

"Wait with him, I'll go find Kate or Javi." They weren't exactly sure where they should take him, so Clementine left her car on its usual spot by the apartment. 

It didn't take long to find Javi, he was as usual wandering around the workshop. "Damn, you actually managed to catch someone?" He asked surprised. The two are already heading to the car. 

Brunette opened the door from the fat guy's side and the surprise was now mixed with a shock when Javi saw what mess was left of the man's leg. "Sniper rifle to the knee. It worked." Kate comments from the front. Javi nods at the comment ignoring the fact that the man is unconscious. 

"Where do we drag him?" Clementine asks and Javi just pats her on the shoulder first before answering. 

"I'll have someone else to do it. You three deserve some rest." Javi assures and Clementine sighs out with relief while Jade pumps her fist up and quickly gets outside the car. The two waited for Kate and Jade to disappear from the horizon before continuing talking. "Do you think we'll have to... Loosen his tongue?" 

"You mean torture him?" Clementine asks for confirmation and Javi nods. "Probably. Whoever will be doing it, tell him to first threaten to make his other kneecap disappear." Clementine advises. She is glad that she didn't have to do it as she expected it might happen. 

"Okay, that was cruel." Clementine shrugged at his words. "Go get some rest, if we'll need anything we'll come and get you." Javi says and Clementine doesn't need any more words, looking for this camp was exhausting and she was ready for sleeping for as long as she possibly can. 

The climb up the stairs was getting harder and harder with each step, but she did not give up and as soon as she was inside her apartment she threw her backpack on the couch, took off her jacket, and threw it over the door, then her holster holding her pistol that ended up somewhere on the desk. 

The bed didn't feel so comfortable before and she was more than grateful for it is right now as she tucked a blanket over her carelessly. 

Sleep came soon after as she felt warmer with each second and more comfortable with each second, at least she now found one positive side to her current job: getting tired as hell and being able to easily go to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

When Clementine left her apartment after sleeping for a decent amount of time and feeling decent too she was found by Jade and Kate rather quickly. "We got information out of that fat guy." Jade pants out, it looks like she's been running for quite some time. It is quick, she expected the fat man to put up some fight and challenge but he didn't, even better. 

"Continue?" Clementine teases when Jade was trying to catch her breath. 

"Delta is doing something that can wreck the whole New Frontier. But we can't be sure if he wasn't lying, we suspect he didn't but... Yeah." So the group worked for Delta, that's not a good sign, if there are more of them then all patrols are in danger and more teams will be sent out to deal with them. "Delta's looking through old military bases salvaging everything and trying to fix what they could, artillery, tanks, those sort of things." That's shitty news, a couple of tanks will be enough to just ride through Richmond killing everyone and everything in its way. 

"We're doing something about it?" Clementine asks as the two probably talked to Javi to find out about that news. 

"Yeah, Javi's already sending us out again. He'll gather two more people for us, so we can go do some reconnaissance in one of the bases Delta is in." Jade informs and Clementine slightly groans, it hasn't even been twenty-four hours. 

"Only reconnaissance? Or are we trying to infiltrate it?" Clementine asks and Jade shrugs along with Kate. 

"I don't know. But the thing is that we won't have enough men to take down every base Delta's in considering we'd knew every one." That leaves only one way out, defeating Delta as soon as possible, only one thing really holds them back, localization of their main base, and if they get spotted, they might start sending hitmen to take Clementine and her team out just to keep them out of that information. This war might get an ugly turn after all of New Frontier's upper hand, it might all go to hell. 

Clementine put hands behind her head, they might as well know already who's making all the ruckus if Delta knows that their workers have been killed, they did have scouts around, that she's sure of, meaning they might send someone after her... Or the school. "Fuck... Come find me when we'll know where we're going. We might need to stop one place." She doesn't care if the base is in the opposite direction of the school, but she needs to inform them where they can find safety. 

Brunette knows that if they decide to attack Delta's main base as soon as they know where it is it'll end in a bloodbath, but there's no other way, because if they ride them down with tanks... It won't be pretty if they even manage to take one out who knows how much more they could have in stock, and they probably have people that know how to fix those. All this death, killing, pains, horrors she got through can all go to waste if Delta will have enough military equipment, and she could use the time she had to plan an escape route to somewhere safer, and not play war. 

God damn Delta. How peaceful her life could be, living in the school, securing AJ a normal childhood, having someone to love, but no, Delta has to show up and fuck it up, have they not suffered enough? How much more they have to live through? Will it ever end? "Hey, you're alright?" A woman's voice reaches her. Kate. 

"Oh yeah, peachy. All the blood we spilled might go to shit if I fuck up. Yeah just dandy." She laughs darkly and Kate sits next to her, all this time Clementine spent sitting on the stairs leading to the door of her building where her apartment is, just watching people live oblivious that all of it might end. 

Kate sighs. "We can send someone else. You don't need to risk your neck." Like it's about her neck. 

"I don't care if I get through it. But I need to make sure my people know where to head to if Delta chooses our little community as their next target." She doesn't mention it's the third time they recruit from their school, no point in this, everyone from there came back in one piece, more or less scarred but still. 

"No need to hurry, do your thing, we still have some time. I imagine that repairing artillery, tanks and so on takes some time." Kate admits. 

Clementine sighs out in despair. "And how long they repair those? Days? Weeks? Months?" She is serious, this is nothing they should be so careless about. "We have one option from my point of view. Find out where Delta's holed up in, and get rid of their main base, we cut the heart out the rest of organism will fail soon after." 

"This will end in a bloodshed." 

"No shit. But what will it be when they get tanks here? Not bloodshed? At least we'd be risking only soldiers there, not elderly, children, innocent people." Her words make some sense but it doesn't make it any less risky, sure, the main base will be fortified to the hell but that's something they'll just have to prepare for. 

"Don't worry for future, scout out, find something, get back. We'll decide from there." Kate says to her before leaving. 

Future of this whole war might be on the shoulders of this small scout mission, what the hell will happen if Delta will have a lot of military equipment? What if it's too late already and they're dead? Will Javi try and defend New Frontier to the last person, or will they have to retreat, just to save people? All those questions and even more roam around Clementine's head, making her worry more and more about her future and of her loved ones. At least she has some time to think while on their way to the base, somewhere near the coast.


	16. Chapter 16

They are now right in front of the school, it wasn't in any way on the way, but Clementine didn't want to risk her family getting hurt. "I'll be back quickly, you all stay here." She commands the four other people. She isn't happy with who Javi assigned to help them, Wyatt, and Kyle, the two that have been on patrol with her some time ago. Some time ago she would forgive them if they'd just apologize, which they did sometime after the patrol, but now with all that has been happening with Delta, she doesn't trust anyone apart from her family in school, and somewhat Jade and Kate since she saw them kill Delta members. 

"And we get to miss all the fun?" Jade asks and Clementine groans. 

"No. This is personal and I don't need you four make a ruckus in there." It was more aimed towards Wyatt and Kyle, she's sure that the two would spread the word of what Clementine did and saw. She doesn't wait for them to say anything more and takes her bag then gets outside the car, Louis on the watch motions to someone down to open the gates. 

Louis takes a closer look at the car and sees people inside the car. "Who's in there?" Curiosity took over him. 

"My suicide squad." She chuckles out, even if it's half true, she didn't hear anyone else going on the same missions she and her team are sent out to, not at this scale at least. 

Minerva opens the gate, obviously hearing what Clementine has said. "Violet would be so thrilled to hear that." She teases and Clementine rolls her eyes as she slips past her. "How long are you staying?" 

"Five minutes? I just need to quickly talk to Violet. Where is she?" Minerva points to the dorms and Clementine heads over there without any further words, of course, she greets anyone on her way there but she always said that she's short on time, which is true, but how the hell is she supposed that if she'll be late it may end up in New Frontier being gunned down by artillery, tanks, or anything else they could find in those bases. She didn't want to meet AJ on the way though, because she knows that he'll want to talk and she won't be able to refuse and she does feel awful for not wanting to see him, but what can she do? If she will talk to him she might end up on hours, like last time, and that would mean letting her squad in and god knows what troubles they could spread. 

She knocks on the door to her and Violet's room. Well, Violet's as for now brunette is living more in Richmond than here, not like she has a choice now, but she is also aware that Violet will always think it's theirs. "Who's there?" She can hear the familiar voice, she can easily recognize that Violet just woke up, and wanting to surprise her Clementine just gets inside. 

Violet smiles slightly when she sees Clementine enter, still sleepy she gets up and wraps her hands around her girlfriend, she's still fine, no new wounds, and she's fairly certain it's not a dream. "I missed you." She breathes in Clementine's scent, even if just a couple of days has passed she still missed it. 

"As well as you can see." Clementine moves back and spreads her arms showing that she's all fine. Brunette gives a quick look at Violet's face and sees that blonde looks much better than last time she saw her, like she's finally sleeping well again, maybe she even started to worry less now that she knew that Clementine could handle herself in a war. "Shit..." She mutters out, what she'd give to stay with Violet for this day, but she can't, maybe after this job, she'll have some more free time. "I ain't got much time, they sent me out again, but we need to talk about one thing." Violet nods and follows Clementine to the desk at which she spreads out a map of the area with a neat line from more or less where the school is to the town 'Richmond'. 

"What is it about?" Violet asks confused and worried she wants to know why Clementine shows her the map now and not when she was here last time or before she left. 

Clementine took a deep breath in, listening to her heartbeat for a second, now that she has to tell that to Violet, about Delta, and the risk... It all dawns on her how fucked the situation can get. "Delta has more fight in them than I thought..." She never expected them to work on military equipment. "My last mission was a success, not a flawless one but no one on our side got hurt or killed..." She doesn't know how to phrase it and Violet patiently waits, she sees that it beats the brunette up. "Delta loses, on manpower mainly and... Well only on that front. But we were winning, now it's more of an unannounced stall, they interrogated a guy we captured." Another deep breath in and out. "Apparently Delta might work on military equipment, probably from weapons to shit like tanks." Violet shakes her head as she can't believe it. "I'm supposed to check if it's true or not." She winces when she sees how Violet reacts. 

"Are you fucking serious?! Okay, you told me your job now's even riskier, but tanks!? Fucking tanks!? And you're going there?" Blonde puffs out in disbelief she thinks that New Frontier might be straight up using brunette to most risky and stupid missions and Clementine doesn't say anything just takes it all in. "And that doesn't explain that fucking map!" She points at the map on the desk and Clementine shuts her eyes close before talking. 

"First, if I won't go in there and that fuck's been right I may have the blood of innocent people on my hands, men, women, children. Second, the map's for you, I remember the road well enough... And I've been fucking up Delta for long enough, I'm worried they might get to you so they can get me. So if that even happens, you pack everyone up and go to Richmond, mention my name and they'll let you in, no questions asked." This is stupid. 

Now Violet sobbed, almost like a dam broke again, after fixing it recently. "What you came here to ask for my blessing for you to have a death wish? Granted." Clementine winces yet again. "But we fought off Delta once, we can do it twice." Clementine shakes her head, there's no way they could fight them off again because they wouldn't want to catch everyone alive, just one of them would be enough for Clementine charge at them, beat up, slit throats, shoot anyone who gets in her way just to get killed by the end of it. She loves Violet way too much to let her risk it, and AJ, and everyone in this school. 

Brunette turns around suddenly and cups Violet's face, gently, calmly, before kissing her, also gently, the calming sense in such a simple gesture. "I love you." It came out without even thinking about it, it wasn't how Clementine wanted to say it, but for all they both know it might be the last shot they'll get. "You don't have to say it back if you don't feel it yet. I just wanted you to know." It doesn't even pain her to say it, because brunette's sure as hell she will love Violet until her last breath. 

"I love you too..." Clementine felt her heart rise with hope, feeling, and that gentle sense in her heart she feels whenever she's around Violet doubled in the intensity. "So please, just go, do what you have to do, and come back." It was an order, not a request. And she won't fail, not now. 

Clementine moves away slightly, still catching Violet's hands in hers. "Promise me, Vi, promise me that you'll run away if it will all go to hell. If not for me do it for Tenn, AJ, Louis, Aasim, Ruby, Brody, the rest, what's the point in pulling them through the same shit again." Violet nods. 

"I will don't worry about that."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, this took far fucking longer to write than I wanted but I lacked any inspiration lately and I'm sorry for that, but sooner or later I will lead this to the end and I'll try my damn best to make updates more scheduled than do two updates in a week and then over a month without anything for which I apologize.

"Are things always this complicated with y'all?" Jade groans when she hears Kyle's voice, the two don't get along too well. "I mean, we're talkin' gettin' inside a fortified base that's swarmin' with people that'll shoot us." Clementine is looking at the base through the scope of Kate's rifle, it was what she was doing for the past two days. 

Just as Jade was going to threaten to knock Kyle's teeth out Clementine got back and handed Kate the rifle. "No one's making you go there, pussy." Jade scoffs. Tall redhead is able to get herself into even more dangerous situations than Clementine does. 

"And what about them fixin' something?" Wyatt asks, brunette didn't share many pieces of information she learned, so most of it is in the dark. 

"Yup that too. That's why we're going in, we have some explosives right?" She starts going through the bag of things Wyatt grabbed, 'essentials' he called it, most of it was booze but there were some ammo and brunette could swear there were some explosives. 

"Yeah, so this is what you mean by 'if it goes to shit'?" It wasn't anything new that Clementine could have some straight-forward ideas but so straight-forward that they worked. "I better check the truck then, we don't want it breaking down." He stands up from his chair with a grunt. 

Kate was thinking all the time about the plan. "You're going in the same way I think... So wait, how much will you have to sneak through?" 

"Around two patrols, but they're lazy idiots so it won't be much of a trouble." It doesn't sound as easy as she makes it sound but Jade doesn't mind it. "But looking that it's only one base and from what I can guess there's more... That attack on Delta's base might be needed. So, Jade, we try to get one alive." 

"Ah, Kate will shoot one in the knee again and we'll be golden." 

"Not this time, we need to this before we blow the whole place to kingdom come." The perfect outcome would be to take him outside the base and either Jade or Clementine would stay and keep him in line while the other would activate the charges and run like hell with hope no one will see them. "Yes." She brings out a couple of explosive charges along with the detonator. 

Kyle scoffs when he sees Clementine's confused look on the charges. Brunette knows how to do many things but dealing with explosives isn't her area of expertise. "Might as well show you two how to handle those, we don't want you two blowing each other up." 

The rest of the day was spent with Wyatt fixing up what he could in the truck, Kate cleaning weapons, Clementine and Jade learning from Kyle how to handle those charges, and from what brunette saw Jade would prefer to use them blindly than to learn how to use them from Kyle. The odds aren't really in their favor but that doesn't stop them, didn't earlier, won't now, but she hates the idea of dying now that she assured Violet twice that she's fine, but then again not like she has much of a choice, sure, she could tell Javi that she is too scared to do it and he wouldn't make her do it but Clementine isn't scared for her life but of what happens to AJ if she dies, to Violet, to rest of the school if the attack comes from Delta or anyone else and she won't be there it will be all on Minnie and Sophie as they are truly trained in fighting unlike the rest of the school that went through quick basics to defeat Delta with bows and hope. "So is there any sign for us to start the car?" Wyatt asks and Clementine nods after breaking her train of worrying thoughts. 

"Yes, either an explosion or shooting, be prepared to shoot anyone that isn't us." Brunette warns. Damn, she's nervous, and only because with each action she has there might be a bigger shot at Delta attacking the school. Clementine has a bag with half the explosives, the Jade with the rest, they both plant at the designated places, Jade is going where the equipment is stacked away and Clementine straight to building where most of Delta soldiers are with some hope to get someone there and if that fails they try to take down a patrol and take someone from there. 

"I really don't like this idea." Kate admits as she got closer to the rest, she was getting ready to move into her position that will give her sight over most of the base. 

"Me too but it's better than attacking them frontally." Wyatt says and Kate shrugs. "Either way, if something goes wrong we're ready to get them out in not even a minute. More or less." It would be good if they could practice how long would evacuation last but that's a luxury they can't afford. 

Jade speaks up. "Well, if there's one thing you can tell about me is that I'm lucky and probably just that kept me from getting shot on previous occasions." True enough, Kate knows of Jade's history of risky actions. 

"Okay, quiet now, we're going." Clementine announces and with that, they all get quiet as she and Jade move away from their position heading towards the base, they're lucky they don't expect any trouble, or this whole action would be much harder to pull off. 

Getting to the fence was easy enough and it all depended on the luck of not getting spotted among the bushes they took cover from a sniper on the roof of one of the buildings, but adrenaline was all there. "Okay. We're here, give me the wires and you'll connect your portion of explosives on your way back." Jade says and Clementine gives the wires she had in her bag with a nod. 

"Don't leave them in visible place." She whispers back and Jade nods too. They got behind the fence and squeezed between it and the building Clementine's headed to. "Good luck." 

"You too." Now they split up, the general idea is to not kill anyone until they blow up the place unless it's necessary. Clementine circles around the building, the patrol is headed in a completely different direction so without much of a fuss, she gets inside a three-floor building on top of which the sniper is situated. She has an idea to put the explosives on each of the door frames on the first floor so the building might collapse, the two want to blow up the building after they leave the place and get as far away as they can with the wire they have. 

The adrenaline pumping in her veins almost made her forgot what Kyle showed her and it wasn't any easier with her hands shaking a little, but slowly and surely she did what she had to do and the chance of anyone seeing the charges isn't too big unless they specifically stare at the bottom of door frames. Now just to take one of them alive, she can knock them out at least but getting them out won't be easy, that's for sure. Now she stumbled into an almost great idea, the sniper of top of the building she's in, there's only him up there, and with a little of luck she'll get him down without anyone noticing. 

Deciding to go through with the idea she slowly and quietly gets up while trying to avoid any people inside, at least most of them are sleeping or too invested in talking to each other to expect any danger or step outside their rooms. Getting to the roof was much more stressful but she did it, now she's holding her pistol as she slowly sneaks towards the sniper that looks on the area in front of him through the scope of his sniper rifle. Using as much strength as she could master she hit the man on the back of his skull and he fell unconscious, now just drag him outside and wait for Jade to come back. She's almost after the most difficult part but surely not the most dangerous. 

It all depends now on just not getting noticed or making any noise as Clementine makes sure all charges are connected properly and while dragging the unconscious guy outside. She expects to already see Jade as soon as she reaches the point where they're supposed to meet because of how tall red-head worked, quickly, reckless, but usually not reckless enough to fuck anything up, well at least that's what Clementine thinks. 

And she was right, Jade was already waiting for the brunette and there's another man behind the woman. "Okay. How we're looking?" Jade asks. Clementine handles the cable she led from the main building and Jade connected it to the detonator. "Shit... Clem, I think we're fucked." 

Clementine gestures with her head for Jade to continue as she watches the patrol in the area. "The fucking detonator doesn't have long enough cable, we'll be too fucking close to the building." Of course, something had to go south, it would be too perfect if it didn't. 

"I'm faster, you're stronger, drag these two out, I'll blow this place up and reach you." The cable is enough to about reach their entrance, but shit it will be a close one if she manages to escape in the first place. She's the last one to leave the compound as she sets up while waiting for Jade to move to a secure distance. 

"Shit..." Brunette whispers out, she really didn't think it through, but no going backs now. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second as she triggered the explosives and her ears begun to ring as she was stunned by the explosion, it was a good couple of long seconds before she has unsteadily begun to run in Jade's direction. She saw Jade scream something but barely heard anything but at least she's sure that the explosives worked like a charm. Well, the arrival of Wyatt with the truck didn't last too long either, they were there after not even a minute and soon after they had two prisoners in the trunk as they were leaving in a hurry, no one probably even knows what the hell happened. 

Hearing and rest of the senses slowly came back to the brunette, but she was still confused from the blast. "It actually fucking worked!" Jade exclaimed in a voice full of adrenaline. "Holy shit!" 

"Don't get too excited, we're not out of the woods yet." Wyatt warns her, they're far enough for no one to see them, but still close enough to still get caught. "And I'd suggest trying to get some rest now that we have some time, because we can't stop, not for long." 

"And why is that?" Jade asks and Clementine even if still not all there could sense she might try to pick up another argument that's pointless. 

"You saw their equipment, they can still chase us." She says out and Jade just shrugs but doesn't say anything more, she will have to thank Javi for this damned team, they might work well together but it'll be one long-ass time before they'll get along.


	18. Chapter 18

Violet was feeling better with each day, she noticed it and so did the rest of the school and they all were relived for both being sure that Violet will be fine and as well as for the fact that Clementine is fine and alive, but only blonde knows that brunette is stuffing herself into a military base filled with Delta goons. The only worry that's on the blonde's mind is if Clementine's worries will be right and Delta will come here, but she has a plan to escape if that happens. 

"Okay, so, what you're saying is that Delta might just come here to capture us just so they can catch and kill Clem? What conspiracy theories you have in storage for us apart from that?" Answering with sass, why she's not surprised Minnie would do it. 

"Clementine's words, and she said that they might do that, I mean, think you idiot, a woman that's fucking up your whole community has one weakness and they'll do everything to use it to their advantage." Maybe she did overdid it by saying that brunette is destroying the whole community single-handedly but quite a part of it. No surprise that Clementine's ready to go straight to hell and back for her family, and they all know that but Minerva still has doubts about that, it wasn't that long when they tried to kill each other and despite the fact that they're on friendly terms red-head still wouldn't trust brunette in one hundred percent. 

"I mean... Shit, we go out hunting and she taught us a thing or two to live on the road, but Richmond ain't close, it took her whole day to get here with a car, how long will it take to take all of us there? Couple of days at least. You're sure we don't have an option to fight back?" Louis questions and Violet shrugs but if they have as much equipment as Clementine thinks, then they won't have much choice, all they have is bows and rifles that only Minnie and Sophie know how to use properly. 

Violet thinks, no way they can fight of twenty soldiers of Delta, shit, they won with luck last time and they were totally prepared, traps and everything, there's still traps around but not as much from fear that someone might forget and trigger it resulting in someone's death. "Yes, I'm sure. And if it comes to that then I'm sure that we'll be able to take it back after the war." She wasn't too sure about that because Delta might win with that equipment and then they all will have to run away to the next community that would be able to take on Delta, which could provide safety from them. And god knows if there's one. "New Frontier will sure as hell owe us that much." This whole conversation doesn't have much sense, but she'll have to make sure that those idiots won't fight back. "Listen, if anything happens we gather behind dorms, there's a small gap in the wiring around the school and I left a ladder there, we use it and run like hell. What I'm expecting of you is to gather everyone that's closest to you, meaning, Louis you gather Mitch and Marlon. Minnie, you go take Tenn, Aasim, Ruby. Sophie, you're after AJ, Brody, Willy, and Omar." They all seem to be thinking about it, for too long, like they don't want to leave school. "Don't fucking argue with me on this, that's what Clementine thinks will work out, and besides, what good will it bring us if we get us killed for this place when they will leave either way when they lose the war?" She stopped herself from saying 'if'. 

"Okay, fuck, I suppose you're right." Louis agrees, Sophie nods as well as Minnie, but the taller one was a little more reluctant. Violet breathed out with relief. "Okay, get some rest y'all." She tells them as she leaves for her room, leaving only Ruby on the lookout. 

Now it isn't fear that eats her from inside but stress, she has a plan of escaping but gathering everyone will be tough, she even has a bag full of essentials if it'll go to shit. But she has that weird feeling in her gut, the same as she had when Delta attacked for the first time, it may be why she decided to tell Louis, Sophie, and Minnie of her plans today and not tomorrow or any other day. 

She pushed the feeling away as she laid down, feeling all the fatigue slowly melting away as she groaned, her back hurt as she had fallen down the ladder earlier when she was checking if the escape route was any good and as it turned out the ladder wasn't too stable. She closes her eyes with a slight smile forming on her lips. 

Now she hates herself for pushing away that fucking gut feeling, a fucking gunshot rang out in the distance, and then many others, far closer, and she heard Ruby scream in fear, at least that what she hopes it is when she quickly took the bag of supplies and saw the three she talked to earlier do their jobs. "Where's Ruby?!" Aasim asked over the gunfire and soon they saw the short red-head running. 

"'m here... What the hell's goin' on?!." They all looked at Violet, and she didn't hesitate. 

She opened her mouth just to be shut up by cracking of bottles filled with flaming liquid thrown at the school. "They want to burn us?!" Maybe they don't want to capture them alive after all. 

"Follow me!" Violet says in a raised voice as she leads her group to the room with no bars in windows on the first floor and they jump out from the window and make a run for the ladder that's still there and fortunately for them, no one still went behind the dorm building as they climbed up the ladder. "Shit, shit, shit." It was far slower than anticipated, mostly because they all were too terrified to think clearly, she should have warned others too, it's all her damn fault. She was the last one to hop over the walls of the school as the explosions and flames consumed dorms as the other run while Violet watched it burn with her shoulders down, hopeless. 

"Come on, Vi! We need to fucking go!" Louis hurries her and Violet takes a last look at the school before running with the others. Why the fuck she didn't trust her gut feeling.


	19. Chapter 19

With all the information Clementine's team gathered plus the two soldiers they gathered from the base made the situation change from tense to shitty and tense, most teams are out working in the field meaning there's literally just the minimalist guard staff around Richmond. Clementine's team also got a 'week off' meaning they weren't send off anywhere, but because of the deficit of soldiers around they were the ones patrolling the areas around Richmond which were fine by them as it was almost like a vacation after all the bullshit that happened just in a week. The only people that weren't exactly happy with patrolling were Wyatt and Kyle as they didn't have any chance of showing off even though Clementine said everyone had their input in the mission and didn't mention anything about her and Jade doing most of the job. She did say about using explosives to fuck with Delta, Javi and Kate weren't too happy at first but just for a second as now they're doing a full-blown offensive on Delta, yet they thought it thoroughly, they don't send huge teams forward just to get picked off by Delta soldiers stationed around but they're doing a little poke here, poke there making Delta's casualties rise and New Frontier's stay at the same spot or rise oh so slightly. 

But it can't all be perfect, people obviously don't like the fact that they can't see their relatives as often as they could and Clementine sympathized with them but she tried to stay neutral on this ground, no point in having some conflict arise inside of New Frontier now. For now, they only managed to get out the next locations of outposts they poke with the hope that soon enough some of their prisoners will break and tell them where Delta's main base is so they can finish it. 

The week off was over too quick and they soon after were accompanying another team that's supposed to show them how this whole poking thing looks like but she heard enough from other teams that did manage to come back or wounded that came back, usually nothing but grazes or bruises, but sometimes they've gotten someone with gunshot wounds but that was about the worst thing they handle. "Can't we just go in and get rid of the whole outpost?" Kyle asks impatiently, they've been in the rain for almost an hour now, waiting for the right moment to take out some of Delta's soldiers, and with a little bit of luck manage to get away without having to get involved in a skirmish, but if they'll have to they'll fight their way out. 

"No we can't. We're spread pretty thin, we can't be taking over more territory, and if we just kill them all and leave it there's a high probability they'll reinforce it far more than if we just clean a couple of them." How the fuck that even worked Clementine couldn't tell, maybe Delta did have that much trouble with manpower, but New Frontier isn't too good on that front too ever since more and more infected begun to move in the south so a few of the teams were sent off to drag them off from New Frontier's territories. 

"I'm just sayin' we could do it." Kyle defends himself, Clementine silences through while Jade just lets off a scoff. They all are equipped with rifles with silencers. Home-made but efficient. 

"Hey." Kate came to them and whispered, she was more or less their runner as she moved from one position where Clementine is to the other where the other team is at. "South-east of the compound, three soldiers, we take 'em out. They take care of two on the guard tower then we meet back at camp." What Clementine liked about Kate was that she wasn't scoffing at everything Kyle or Wyatt spoke and that she is always quick to the chase. 

"Okay..." Clementine mutters out as she looks for the called out soldiers and she spots them, all of them have a cig in their mouth as they cover from the rain under a small roof made of think sheet of metal. "Kyle, Wyatt, you wanted to take more part, right? You're going with me." They nod and follow their 'commander'. 

She took her sweet time, Kate's job was to see Clementine's sign and send it over to the second team. "Hmm... Right. Kyle, you take out the left one, Wyatt right, I'll take the middle one." She didn't ask them for their opinions so they all aimed at their targets and sent a sign to Kate, the moment she sent it further was the moment to take the shot. Not even half a second later after the other team fired Clementine's took care of their targets too. "Okay, we move back. Slowly." They can't risk to fuck it up. Not now. 

"Kate went to the other team, ask what they think we should do now. I don't think we're gettin' any action 'tho." Jade spoke almost like she misses more adrenaline when bullets whirled around their heads but Clementine preferred taking care of things quieter, just because of less risk of getting killed or wounded. 

"Well, it is better than patrolling around almost cleaned off areas, ain't it?" Wyatt speaks up and Jade chuckles a little actually agreeing with the man, which is a rare look. 

A couple of minutes later Kate was back with the news, they're moving back, quickly pack up and retreat to their nearest outpost for rest then back to Richmond, probably another assignment in another region, maybe west now, or east, most of their actions were in the north anyway but Delta has some small outposts in the west that take care of manpower and if they could release prisoners they could make even more damage to Delta. 

It took them ten minutes to get back to their camp and Delta had to notice the bodies by now so no one was wasting any time packing up and making sure there weren't many tracks, they left their cars further off and they did split up before reaching them. "Clean job." The other team's 'commander' comments and Clementine just shrugs, she doesn't even know his name, but at least he isn't as stupid as others. "It's good working with someone that thinks." 

"You don't have to tell me that, now we need to get the fuck away. See you back at the outpost?" The commander nodded as they drove off, again splitting up. 

The outpost consisted of five guards that were connected with primitive alarm to the closest base, sure they could drag it on for a little longer and get to the base but both Clementine and other commander preferred to stay at the outpost, so that if Delta somehow picks up the trail they'll be able to lend a hand to the five guards. For now, Clementine's team was heading off to sleep while the other stays up, and in the early morning, they change so the others can get at least a few hours of sleep before getting back to Richmond.


	20. Chapter 20

"What the fuck just happened?!" Mitch screamed out in rage as the rest of the school members scattered around a small store they found after running for what felt like hours. "Who the hell was it?!" He's shouting at Violet as the rest tries to collect their thoughts. And he keeps at it for several minutes as Violet buries her face in her hands trying to block him out but it's just impossible and he didn't even know when Violet was up and screaming straight in his face. 

"Can you just SHUT THE FUCK UP?!" She pushes him away and he stumbles back. "What happened? We got fucked out of our home! Who was it? Delta!" She was shoving a finger in his chest after she got closer despite her pushing Mitch back just seconds ago. "Have your answers? Then SHUT UP!" She sat down on the same wooden box she got up from and rested her face on her hand. Mitch went off to the rest, everyone was way too caught up in their thoughts and Violet was now thinking what the hell they're supposed to do, she didn't even have that many supplies, just some food to keep them going for two days, maybe three. 

"Violet, are you okay?" She hears AJ's voice and she takes a deep breath, trying to keep herself together. "I heard you screaming." 

"Yes, AJ, I'm fine." Blonde offers him a fake smile but at least he buys it. "It's just... I'm angry that I didn't predict it coming." Now she wasn't even sure if she was talking about Mitch's outburst or Delta attacking their home. At least they aren't without a plan, getting to Richmond at any price, but they can't stay here for long either because either infected or Delta might find them and they don't really have anything to defend themselves with. "Do you have your gun?" He shows it to her and she has at least a little peace of mind knowing that they have something to defend themselves with. 

"I don't have many bullets." He complains and sits on the floor next to Violet. 

"Either way keep it, you're probably the best shot in here." He nods and hides the revolver back. She glances at him for a second and notices a small bit of sadness on his face. "What's on your mind?" 

"I think that Clementine's hat is back at the school, she'll be mad when she finds out that she lost it." Violet just grimaced and pulled the hat out of the bag and put it on AJ's head, no point in keeping it in the bag, at least he might feel better. What got her attention is that from what she understood Clementine would be angrier about the hat than the school and she wanted to ask about it but then she understood, it isn't the first time they lost their home, it's probably something they got used to by this point. 

"Now, go get some rest." She told him and he walked off, she knows that she has to speak to the others, as tough as it may be. 

It took quite a lot of willpower from the blonde to get up from the box and walk over to where the rest are sitting around, still too afraid of Delta being nearby to even speak, even Mitch after it got to him. "I know that the situation isn't too good." Way to go, few people glared at the blonde for the way she put it. "We have a plan, you remember when Clementine got here a few days ago?" Some of them gave a shrug or a nod but most of them kept silent. "She told me that if this happens we'll go to Richmond, they should let us in without too much of trouble if we mention her, but I'm not too sure how long will it take us." 

"That's rather really vague, you know, we need equipment, we have some food, but we'll need at least something to keep the infected off of us." Aasim comments and he's right, well as long as they don't fall into a damn bloater, a knife or a bat won't be of great use against it. "Sure, we need to head there, but we need a route and a plan where we'll stop to pick up any supplies." Route they have, they just need any sort of equipment. 

"Yes, so you and Sophie will help me plan it out, the rest scatter and take what we'll need. We can't stay here." She has to try and keep their hopes up, even if her own is lost and it seems to be working at least slightly as some people went around the store and picked up a few things that might be useful while Violet, Aasim, and Sophie planned out the route, stops, where they would have to be careful. But at least some of them still have a little bit of fight left in them, even after losing what they called their home for most of their life.


	21. Chapter 21

When Clementine's team came back from their run they just saw that what's left of soldiers in the city were transporting all weapons, ammo, and everything in one spot so it's easily accessible and that didn't really encourage Clementine so she said her team to hang in back while she runs to Javi and asks what's this commotion about. 

She got to the apartment building in which Javi and Kate usually are and she knocked on the door a little too fast and hard but she didn't care, not when the whole city looks like they're about to ride out the last time and want to take everything they have with them. Javi opens the door. "You're finally back, come in." Well, the run she was just on did take a little more than anticipated. He leads the brunette to the map at which Kate looks, mostly at the small 'X' on it. "We know where Delta's base is." 

Clementine proceeds to listen out Javi's plan, he wants to be done with it in a week at most, and because of his information about finding the base, most teams are now coming back to restock and prepare. "So just so I get it right. We send out most of the soldiers again, we go through every outpost that Delta has all across the state? It's ballsy." The plan was a connected idea of Kate's plan and Javi's, Javi wanted to go to base while Kate wanted to weaken Delta even further. 

"Isn't really, from what we heard Delta's sending back more and more soldiers to their base leaving a skeleton crew behind in those outposts. If we move quickly we should be able to get through them without much resistance." Kate reasons and Clementine shrugs, all that means is that Delta is confident enough to at least defend the main base. "And we won't frontally attack their base, we'll try to sneak in and sabotage the place before attacking." Not like they could do much more, they can just hope that all the damage Clementine's team and all others dealt enough damage to Delta's personnel and equipment so they could actually pull it off. 

"Okay, but I'd send some team to scout out their base, have a little insight." 

"Already dealt with, we expect them to come back in a few days." All she could do is nod at Javi's words and leave the place and look for her team to tell them the news. She's at least sure that Jade, Wyatt, and Kyle will like the idea. 

She finds them in an old park, sitting at some benches in a park with jars full of some liquid that they drink. "I'm tellin' you, I can bet we'll win this war." She hears Kyle saying as she sits next to Kate that has a jar in her hand also but she isn't chugging it down like Kyle and Jade. "Oh! Here you are..." He's drunk out of his mind and it doesn't sound or look like he'll stop drinking any time soon. 

"Great, so we're getting drunk now?" Clementine can't refuse she wouldn't mind a drink right now and Kate kind of sees it and gives her one of many jars they have, where the hell they have it from is a mystery to brunette but she doesn't care. 

"I guess we are." 

With each sip of the awful drink it tasted less awful and more like water. Clementine wished she could say about Javi's plan before she was lost in her own thoughts again, but now she's drunk. "You know what's the plan on Delta?" Wyatt asks as he knows already what's up. 

"Yes..." She says dragging 'e' a little. "And you all?" 

"Too. The guards at the gates told us and to celebrate the news Wyatt pulled out his stash for us." They didn't even wait for brunette. "At least we can fucking end this soon enough." Jade finishes her words before taking another large swig of her drink without even cringing at the sour taste. 

"If we don't fuck up, that is." Kate corrects and Jade simply shrugged. 

"Yeah, at least we'll die protecting our people, right?" She argues and now it's Kate's time to shrug, she's probably least drunk out of all of them. And it's good that not many people are out on the street at this hour or they'd be kicked out of the park as a lot of kids are playing around here during the day. 

"If you think about it Delta does the same thing, but they achieve their goal by different means." Kate counterargues and Jade already has that glim in her eyes showing she'll argue so Wyatt and Kyle look closely at the events unfolding. 

Jade takes a sip. "Yeah, but they are fightin' dirty, kidnapping people, using better equipment." 

"Kidnapping people, yes that is dirty, but using better equipment isn't no one stopped us from getting it first, did they? And we're stealing their equipment." And so the argument went forward with each point made by Jade to be turned down by Kate's reasonable thinking until Jade was too angry to continue it and so she silently was getting drunk even further. 

Hopes of winning this war wasn't only on Clementine's team but on all teams that were sent out to weaken Delta's situation further, most of them being sent out to take over or destroy their equipment, but the thing was that if they didn't destroy enough of it they could simply wipe them down with few well-placed machine guns or grenades. And that's what worries brunette, that despite their hard work they'll still lose and most people that don't want to be forced into a community will have to run away with hopes of finding a new and better place to live, be it some strangers Clementine has never met to her family, and that thought alone is making her a sad drinker, but at least she doesn't pour her thoughts on other people. 

They were there for over an hour, most of the jars empty but some still filled for another time if there will be one, and soon enough Wyatt was helping Kyle reach his place while Kate helped Jade and Clementine. Taller brunette opened the door to Clementine's place almost falling over with Jade hanging over her shoulder while Clementine managed to get inside herself. "Leave her on the couch, her apartment is on the other side of the city... Go to sleep Kate." Kate just nodded thankfully and laid Jade to rest at the couch while Clementine was stumbling over to her bed and collapsed on it faster than anticipated so she hit the mattress harder than expected and she groaned out before laying down and trying to calm down her nausea before falling asleep, hoping that the hangover won't be too much to handle.


	22. Chapter 22

As the time went onward the faster things around Richmond were happening, the equipment being thrown from place to place, people scared or anxious and more detailed versions of plan were coming in but Clementine and her team were out of helping the first day after they came back, mostly because of the hangover, when Clementine woke up that day she just heard Jade vomiting in the next room for a long time and she was barely keeping herself from doing the same. But the day after they were doing stuff all around Richmond and outside of it, usually patroling or helping carry ammunition, guns, those sort of things. Some people also noticed how fucked they will be if they will lose this fight, it might just break their spirits at the moment giving Delta time to grow back to their strengths and being back at the start. So losing isn't an option and all of New Frontier members understand that. 

And over time some vehicles got upgrades, some truck now have machine guns mounted on top of them, and they even had some pieces of armor that will be used solely on attacking Delta's base, the whole advance while making sure all of Delta's outposts will get destroyed will last days, maybe even a week. Clementine's team is being sent on the west side of fightings where they shouldn't be too intense at the start but should get fiercer the deeper they'll go into Delta's territory. Kyle at first even considered changing a team so he'll be where fighting will be more possible but he quickly resigned and he joked that he didn't because he'd miss Jade. "As far as patrols go, it's one of quieter ones." Jade breathes out the warm air as they slowly cross the streets of ruined city. 

"Shut the hell up." Wyatt tells her and she looks ready for another fight. "You'll jinx us." Tall redhead scoffs. Almost every night now they talked over how probable it is for them to win this despite talking it over a few times by now, and Clementine usually answers she isn't sure and lets her team resolve it among themselves but she's always listening and picking up any sort of fears or doubts and tries to resolve them. "When we'll win, we'll drinkin' again." Jade makes a fake gagging sound before cringing. 

"Nah, I'm good, it'll be a long time before I touch booze again." Kyle laughs at her. 

"When we'll win I'm going back home. Probably the same day." Clementine shares and Wyatt yawns indicating that his own commander is boring. "Oh screw you." 

Jade is right, the patrol is really quiet, they didn't encounter any infected or anyone trying to get inside the city or any raiders hunting for caravans delivering any supplies to outposts. The day of their advance on Delta is tomorrow and out of all teams Clementine's looks the calmest but it's mostly because they aren't so afraid of going against all odds after dealing with the airport so easily, well if not counting how bad the blast got Clementine. "Shit if we win I just hope we won't get into another war." Kate is at least looking at a wider picture than herself. 

"I just want it to be over." Kyle says the last and after that they rather keep quiet. 

When they saw the sun go down on the horizon they were starting to get back while Wyatt and Kyle kept up a little banter. The gates open when they get sight of the last patrol team and a man on top of the tower yelled down to them. "Y'all are supposed to go for a truck in the workshop, it'll have all your equipment, and all." Clementine shows him a thumb up before walking down the street further. They all throw off their equipment at the same place they got it from, an old shop they used just for handing out the equipment for patrols. The only thing they kept is their personal weapons and backpacks. 

Kyle and Wyat dropped out first because they lived closer to the gates than the rest. The left three stopped at bottom of the building where Clementine lived in, Clementine sat on the stairs leading to the door, Jade leaned against a lamplight and Kate against a wall. Jade pulled out a cigarette and Clementine gave her a weird look, she had no idea woman smoked. "What?" She asks after dragging from is and letting the smoke fly upwards. 

"Nothing." 

They talked for some time about some gossip around the town, mostly about the apparent loud fight in the bar that Jade saw when she was visiting her friend there. "And then he smacked the damned battle on this guy's head." She says, swinging her arm almost the same way. "Shit, I think that this damned war's rubbing off on everyone, not only soldiers." Clementine nods at that and Kate shrugs. "Okay, I should get going if I hope to get any sleep." 

"Yeah, me too. See you guys tomorrow." Clementine admits and stands up from her seat before entering the building and her apartment. She took a quick shower before going to her bed. 

Jade maybe didn't jinx the patrol but she did jinx Clementine's sleep, it took her a long time of throwing around in the bed while thinking about what can happen tomorrow, from dying or losing to winning in all different ways. But mostly it was thinking about grim things like dying, losing or seeing everyone around her die. Yet for some time before she fell asleep her mind wandered to her family back at school, how she'll be able to get back there and watch the stars with Violet again, or play something with AJ or another card game with Louis after supper. Damn, she misses those people, damn shame she couldn't visit them for the first two months of her being in the war. 

Brunette woke up to the sound of people running on the street. Soldiers rushing to their assignments. For a second she considered staying for longer but then a hollow thought that the sooner she'll get up the sooner she'll see her family got her up from the bed and she quickly put clothes on herself, backpack on her back before joining the soldier in rushing to the workshop. Kate was already waiting, she looked tired, Clementine hopes she got any sleep. "Good morning." That taller brunette greets. 

"Morning. Any word from Jade or the rest?" Clementine asks and Kate shrugs. 

"Pretty sure I saw Kyle in the crowd somewhere, probably after Wyatt. Jade's on her way too, probably." Clementine nods. "I barely slept, my fuckin' neighbors thought it'll be a great idea to do some renovations. Adrenaline will be the last thing keeping me alive." Explains the tired look. Jade was next to meet them, another cigarette in her mouth, but now Clementine doesn't look weirdly as she's too lost in her own pool of anxiety right now. At least she didn't look as tired as Kate but still miserable, damn, probably most soldiers look like that right now, if not worse. 

Wyatt and Kyle get there together, they probably looked the best out of five. They got their equipment and the truck was one of those with machine guns and the equipment wasn't all different from what they usually got when moving out to attack the outposts but they got far more ammo now and some kevlar vests, it made them all feel heavy but at least they didn't need for some time unless Delta would attack them but it wouldn't work out for them. "Wyatt, you take the gun, I'll drive. Kate, try and catch some sleep, we have some time before the first outpost." Clementine tells them, she really found herself fond of driving for some dumb reason but maybe because she didn't trust anyone else to do it for her. 

Driving out of the workshop was slow and getting to the western district even slower but they soon found themselves with the rest of the teams, six other cars, one more with a machine gun, all of them filled with people, geared, and hopefully ready for what comes in their way in the coming days.


	23. Chapter 23

Prepared they set out to approach the first outpost, it's supposed to have barely a skeleton crew so they're not all that worried about it but adrenaline is all there. "You see the entrance from the right side?" Kate asks, she's again serving as a messenger. "We getting in through there. Just show up a thumb and we'll be going." Brunette nods. She takes a last look at the gas station they're getting into, there's an empty place on the roof but they're sure there's at least three inside. Clementine breathes in, the first attack of the day and she doesn't have a single idea how many more they'll pull off. Showing up a thumb up set off the whole action, only two teams got sent out, the rest is waiting for them to come back to continue their advance. 

Once inside they were quick and merciless, there were four of them in fact but it didn't matter, in the end, they got rid of them before they could even know what hit them. "We could've sent one team." Another commander says, Clementine sighs and nods at his words, maybe Kate would have gotten more sleep that way. "Nothing we can do about it now." With that, they went back to their cars and set off again. 

"If this is the crew they have left then we'll be on their doorstep in no time." Kate breathes out, Delta is really in a shit spot when it comes to their manpower. Kyle looks out the window into the woods, Jade doing the same on the other side. 

"Yeah, but god knows how many of them are inside, and we can't just blow it up." Javi plans on accepting any Delta members that will want to join them into New Frontier, but they'll be kept under observation to make sure they won't try anything. The only thing they'll have to do it without much problem is fixing up at least one more district of the city and they aren't too far from it, just some last clean up jobs and setting up the wall. 

They don't bother on taking off their equipment now, they'll take it off when the commander of the whole attack from the west will tell them that their job for the day is done. "Christ, I wonder if the war ever will be over..." Kyle grimly remarks catching the attention of the car and Jade pushing him into sharing what he means. "How long will it take before some other group will try and attack us? Take what's ours?" 

"There aren't many communities that will just try and attack other without much reason. From what I heard the tensions with Delta were high all the way back when Joan, David... And the last dude were in charge." No matter how much she tries, Clementine can't remember the last guy's name, not that it matters really, but it at least keeps her head focused on something else than her anxiety and worry. 

"You were around when they were in charge?" Wyatt says in a highly raised voice so Clementine hears him from outside the car. Wyatt is easily old enough to be a part of New Frontier's attacks on the community before Javi and Kate took the lead. Damn, he could have been in Prescott. 

Clementine shrugged, even if he didn't see it. "For some time, I got fucked over by them, so I left." 

"They allowed you to?" Jade asks she knows that New Frontier didn't let others leave so easily before. 

Brunette sighs lightly. "Not exactly, I've got thrown out. But still got fucked over." They left it at that sitting in the moving car in complete silence with tensions running higher the deeper they were in Delta's territory in fear of getting attacked by the community. 

The day went on agonizingly slow between the rides, last scouting out of Delta's outposts, then taking them over, looting what's useful and pressing onwards and they had to sent out one car with a few wounded after an explosion went off in one of the buildings after a Delta soldier threw one home-made grenade. From what Clementine knows they're approaching the last camp but they're sitting this one out, and brunette doesn't complain as her whole team is tired, Kate already sleeping, and Jade almost dozing off. "Good job today." She praises, yet no one speaks all that much, it's too late into the night to focus on such unimportant things. "But it's just the start and it'll just get rougher down the road." Sad truth. 

"I'll be damned if I don't see Delta fall." Kyle speaks out his thoughts unload but no one comments on that either, they all want to see them fall after all the effort they put into the conflict. 

The last team shows a thumb up to the first car before they move out while the rest watch. "Did anyone thought that people inside Delta's base, civvies, won't be brainwashed to the point where they'll fight us?" Jade makes a fair point and Clementine thinks it over, she remembers quite good how Minnie and Sophie were after getting outside of the Delta, but the thought of having to butcher innocent people make her sick in the stomach. 

"Let's just hope they'll stay of our way or that our plan on attacking the base won't be an open attack." The odds they actually will even reach the base without getting spotted is really low, and as soon as they'll get spotted some portion of soldiers will definitely get mowed down by machine guns, and then they'll have to hope for thick forest areas around the base. 

"And besides, we wouldn't have to kill them, nothing a strong bash to the head won't solve." Wyatt remarks. He's now in the car, knowing that the last outpost is just getting cleared and that they'll be setting up the camp in minutes to come, just waiting for two teams to get back. 

A knock on the side window broke Clementine out of her another train of worried thoughts. She rolls the window down. "We're settin' up the camp here." One of the other team commanders lets her know. "Follow us, we found a spot." Clementine nods. Brunette brings the engine to the live before following four trucks to the side, good for defending if it'll come to that. The camp consists of a fireplace for every car and a huge piece of cloth on sticks right next to the car so they cover those that sleep outside the cars from the rain. 

"Kinda cozy." Kyle speaks out and pulls a bottle of water out of his pack. He uses a stick to poke in the fire as the silence once again washes down the team, minus Kate that sleeps in the car after moving to the back seat. 

The team ate as much as they could with the constant anxiety and tense thoughts before calling it a day and going to sleep. It will take them at least one more day of constant raiding Delta's outposts before they reach the rest of attack teams. They're expected to reach them as the last anyway.


	24. Chapter 24

The attacks on the outposts went on for two days and as suspected the crew in them was getting bigger and bigger with each outpost they attacked and in some rare cases they had to go in loud where the machine guns on the trucks came in handy and minimized the chance of them getting shot before they got to the outpost. Of course, some of them got shot or wounded, but the big medical extraction was going to happen after all teams will meet up around twenty kilometers from Delta's base where they will be closing in on the details of the attack. But lucky for Clementine and her team they all got away with just minor scratches or bruises, nothing that will get them out of the action. Well, Jade would be dead if not for the vests they got as she got shot right in the chest but with a gun with small enough caliber for the bullet to get stopped by the vest, and it was also the first time where Clementine saw Jade fully scared. 

The attack camp looked impressive, almost like everyone did something like this before but most of them probably didn't even have a single idea of what they were doing but had to pretend they do just to keep the morale up. But some things they can't hide, like fear, or stress, no one even tries to hide those. 

"Glad to see you made it." Clementine hears Javi's voice. She was staring off into the distance where Delta's base is supposed to be while thinking about the attack way too much. 

"Good to see you too. We have any sort of plan already? Or are we still waiting for one?" She would lie if she'd say that she prefers waiting. Javi nods before leaning against the same vehicle as Clementine. 

"Most options went to shit basically, forests around the base guarded, heavily. So we have two options, either we knock from the front or attack from three different sides." He explains to brunette and she scoffs, obviously, they can't sneak their way in, would be too easy. 

Clementine again stares off where the base is. "Okay, who's attacking from where." There's a certain amount of uneasiness in her voice. 

"I'm taking north and east on the front, we'll poke them a little before advancing while west gets in from behind." And now Clementine wants to laugh Javi off, west not only was weakest now but all the way from the start. 

"The odds of us surviving this are so small that I think I'd like the frontal attack." Javi opened his mouth to say something but got cut off by the brunette. "We were weakest from the fucking start and now we're few people lighter and unless they're really undefended from the back, which I doubt, we're fucked." 

"They aren't as defended there, but I wouldn't risk saying they're undefended. West has the most experienced fighters, imagine what'd happen if I'd send east there? They'd get mowed down before they could say 'oh fuck'. Besides there's plenty of cover there, I think they expected that if they needed to they'd push whoever tries to attack them from the back." He justifies and Clementine shakes her head, another unnecessarily stupid and dangerous mission they have to pull off. Hopefully the last. 

"Yeah, fine. At least I can make sure I'll go down with a bang." With that, she walked off while clutching her fists, Javi did see that brunette didn't like the idea one bit, but there's nothing more he could even do to pull off the attack more safely. 

When she got to her team they all saw that Clementine was furious at something and when she told them about yet another suicide mission they just laughed that it's their cursed fate by now. "At least we ain't leadin' the damn attack." Wyatt tries to see on the bright side of things. "All we have to do is follow orders and we'll be fine." Jade laughs at those words. 

"Maybe you're right, for all we know we can get such shitty commander that we'll get mowed down the second we start the fight." Clementine just listens to them before standing up from her sleeping bag at which she has been sitting on. 

"Jade might be right, maybe Wyatt is right. But if Jade's the right one this time then I need all of you to have my back, we can do it by ourselves." Wyatt and Jade agreed immediately. "As long as I'll walk and breathe I'll fucking fight, and I need you to do the same! Not for me or yourselves but for all those defenseless people in Richmond." Kate and Kyle are on the ship too now. All the noises around their own campfire muffled Clementine's words as she stared off into the fire and begun making her plan B.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is released late as I tried my best for it to be longer but didn't have any ideas to do so and in the end, I decided to release it shorter than I wanted it to.


End file.
